Ginny Ketchum A Fiery Legend
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: This is a story about Ash's twin sister, Ginny and her journey as a Pokemon Trainer. Contains everything from Pokemon bonding to a budding romance with Gary Oak. Will be a VERY LONG story. I don't own Pokemon. Enjoy! CHAPTER 13 UP!
1. Chapter 1

**I've been working on this character for a long time. This story begins at the beginning of the anime and is just gonna keep going. The main character is named Ginny Ketchum and she's Ash's twin sister with a passion for Pokemon and is also in love with Gary. (Quick side note: she looks just like Leaf from FireRed and LeafGreen except that she wears blue jeans and a red tee shirt) Enjoy!**

7 year old Ginny Ketchum smiled and ran out into the sunlight. "Don't stray too far, Ginny." Her mom called after her. "I won't, Mommy!" Ginny called back cheerfully before running toward the tall grass that grew outside of Pallet Town. She looked around. 'Ash said he saw Pokemon in here yesterday…' She thought to herself. 'And I'm gonna find one!' She pushed some grass aside and smiled at the cool feeling of the wet dew against her skin. 'It'll be great! Then me, Ash, Gary, and the Pokemon can all play together!' At that moment, she heard a buzzing noise. 'Is that a Pokemon?' "BZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!" A Beedrill shot toward Ginny with blinding speed, aiming its powerful stinger. Ginny let out a yelp of horror before diving to the side.

Charmander looked out the window at the three trainers outside and breathed a sigh. He did not want to go with a trainer. He did not want to be stuck in a Pokeball. He did not want to go into Gym battles. All he wanted was to have a friend and to stay in Pallet Town…at least until he was older. Sadly, he had little say in the matter. He was to be a Starter Pokemon this very day. He looked at his friends, Squirtle and Bulbasaur. They were so much more eager to go. They had talked of nothing else for weeks. Why couldn't he be brave like them? At that moment, he noticed that Professor Oak hadn't closed the door completely. Maybe he could… He glanced at the Professor who was outside talking with the trainers. He looked at Bulbasaur and Squirtle to check that they weren't watching before squeezing out of the door and running off.

"Help me!" Ginny shouted fearfully. She had apparently strayed into a Beedrill nest area. At least a dozen bee Pokemon were shooting at her left and right. "Ouch!" She shouted as their poison sting attacks began to hit her full force. "Stop it!" She sobbed. Intense burning pain was spreading through her whole body. She felt her vision go blurry. She was done for…

Charmander paused and listened. There was a loud buzzing noise toward the tall grassy area outside Pallet Town. 'Just some Beedrill.' He thought to himself before starting to walk away. A scream reached his ears and he froze. 'Just some Beedrill and a little girl!' He turned and started running toward the tall grass as fast as his small legs could carry him. When he finally pushed aside the grass he gulped nervously. 'That's a lot of Beedrill…' He thought nervously. Then, he saw the girl. She was on the ground and in pain. Anger shot through Charmander's veins. He stepped forward. "Leave this girl alone!" He shouted boldly at the Beedrill. They all turned toward him. 'No good…' He thought as he looked at their faces. 'They're too angry to reason with…I gotta fight them!'

Ginny heard a voice shout. "Char! Charmander, char-char!" She looked up and gasped. Standing only a few feet away from her was a Charmander. The Charmander walked over to her and placed himself between her and the Beedrill. "Charmander, go!" She said desperately. "They sting!" Charmander ignored her and let out a yell. "CHAR!" A huge stream of embers shot out of his mouth at the Beedrill. In the back of her mind, she remembered Professor Oak telling her that Bug type Pokemon are weak against fire. He had been right! The Beedrill were now buzzing and flying around in agony. 'I don't wanna be around when they stop!' "Come on, Charmander! Let's run!" She whispered. Charmander nodded and followed her out of the grass. Once they were safe, Ginny sat down. "Thank you, Charmander! You saved my life!" She said gratefully. Charmander smiled at her. "Char-char!" "Do you belong to anyone?" Charmander shook his head. Ginny felt her heart leap. "Do you wanna stay with me?" Charmander jumped up and nodded eagerly. Ginny smiled. "That's great!" She threw her arms around Charmander and hugged him close. "I think I'll name you Flamindude! Do you like that?" Flamindude nodded. "Char!"

Flamindude felt a new warmth spread through his body. He had a new friend! He was going to stay in Pallet Town with her! He had a name that distinguished him from other Charmander. She still had five years until she had to become a trainer. They would be great friends by then and he was sure that he would be ready by that time! He was torn from his thoughts when Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out a photograph. "Look at this, Flamindude." She said. Flamindude looked at the photo and was filled with awe. There was a dragon like Pokemon in the photo. It had powerful wings and a determined look on its face. Also…it reminded Flamindude a little of himself. "That's a Charizard! It's my very favorite Pokemon!" She put the picture back into her pocket. "I loved it ever since Mommy read me a story of a magical Charizard that saved a princess gold from an evil Gengar. Professor Oak gave me this picture along with this." She reached around her neck and pulled off a necklace with a large white fang as the pendant. "It's a Charizard tooth." She placed it around Flamindude's neck. "This is my lucky day, Flamindude! I promised myself that I'd get a Charmander so that I could evolve it into a Charizard someday. Now I got you!" Flamindude stared at the tooth. It was as big as one of his paws. He thought of that picture. 'That beautiful Pokemon…I'm gonna be that someday! Wow!' He stood up and nodded. "Let's do it!" While he knew that his words sounded different to Ginny, he knew that she understood.

Ginny hugged Flamindude again. Everything was going to be perfect! At that moment, she heard footsteps coming toward her. "Ginny? Ginny, where are you?" "I'm over here, Mommy!" She saw her mom walking toward her, followed by Professor Oak. The Professor smiled. "Well, well! They're both here! I guess we've found what we're looking for." Ginny noticed Flamindude starting to back away as she turned to her mom. "Mommy, this is Flamindude! He's my new friend! He saved me from a bunch of Beedrill! Can we keep him? He's very nice!" Her mom looked nervously at her. "Honey…this Charmander belongs to Professor Oak. He's going to be a Starter Pokemon for a new trainer. I'm afraid you are going to have to say goodbye." Ginny felt her eyes well up with tears. "No…" Professor Oak put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ginny. In five years, I'll give you a Charmander." Ginny shook her head and pushed Professor Oak's hand away. "I don't want another Charmander!" Her mom picked her up. "I'm sorry, Ginny." Professor Oak picked up the struggling Charmander. "Say goodbye, dear." Ginny patted Flamindude sadly on the head. "Bye, bye Flamindude. Keep the necklace to remember me by." Flamindude sniffled sadly and a tear ran down his cheek. "Char…" Ginny buried her face in her mother's shoulder as the Professor took Flamindude away.

Flamindude glared defiantly at the boy in front of him. 'I am not going!' He thought bitterly and turned away. The boy seemed dismayed. "Come on, Charmander! Get in your Pokeball!" Flamindude shook his head. "No way! And my name isn't Charmander! It's Flamindude!" Professor Oak sighed. "I'm sorry, Tommy. This Charmander just went through a sad farewell and is feeling very bitter about it." Tommy blinked. "A farewell?" Professor Oak nodded. "Yes. He saved Ginny from some Beedrill and the two seemed to share quite a bond. I hated taking him but I knew that you were waiting." Tommy looked down at Flamindude. "You already have a partner, don't you?" Flamindude looked up and nodded. "Nothing against you, but I'm a one human Pokemon!" Tommy sighed heavily and turned to Professor Oak. "I think I can wait a little longer to begin my journey." Flamindude stared in shock. 'Is he really…'

Ginny sobbed into her pillow. Everything was going wrong. She had a perfect Pokemon and lost him. To make things worse, Gary and Ash had gotten into a fight over a Pokeball and weren't friends anymore. Her mom didn't understand anything either. All Ginny could do was cry. At that moment, she heard her mom call her. "Ginny, come down please." Ginny sniffed and walked downstairs. She blinked in surprise to see Tommy standing in the doorway. "Hi Tommy. Weren't you starting your journey today? Which Pokemon did you choose?" Tommy smiled. "I chose Charmander but I think that this one is already taken." He stepped aside and a slightly weepy Flamindude rushed into the house and hugged her. Ginny felt tears welling up in her eyes and hugged him back. She looked up at Tommy. "But what about you?" Tommy shrugged dismissively. "I can always get another Pokemon but this little guy and you are a perfect match. Take good care of him." Ginny nodded. "I will! Thank you, Tommy!" Flamindude ran over and hugged Tommy's leg gratefully. "Char-char!" Tommy nodded. "You're welcome! I'll see you guys around, okay?" Ginny nodded. "Okay!" Delia Ketchum smiled at her daughter. "Well, Ginny! It looks like you have a new Pokemon. Remember, he's your responsibility!" Ginny nodded. "I know!" At that moment, Ash rushed in and froze. "Hey, no fair! How come Ginny gets a Pokemon and not me!" Ginny smiled. "Don't worry, Ash! You can play with Flamindude whenever you want!" Ash grinned. "Really?" Ginny nodded. "Really!" She walked out the door. "Come on, Flamindude! I wanna introduce you to Gary!" Ash huffed. "Go ahead! I'll pass." Ginny rolled her eyes but said nothing as she rushed out the door. She saw Gary sitting on a rock staring at his half of the Pokeball. "Hey Gary!" She called out. Gary looked up. "Hey Ginny. Whoa, is that a Charmander?" Ginny nodded. "This is Flamindude! He's my new partner!" Gary frowned in a sulking manner. "My Grandpa won't give me a Pokemon… How do you get all the luck?" Ginny smiled! "Don't worry, Gary! I told Ash this too. You can play with Flamindude whenever you want!" Gary smiled. "Thanks, Ginny." He paused. "Hey, Ginny…we're still best friends right? Even though Ash and me aren't friends doesn't mean we aren't right?" Ginny grinned. "We're still friends, Gary! Though maybe you and Ash could apologize…" Gary turned away with a huff. "No way!" Ginny sighed. "Okay." 'He's so stubborn…' She turned to Flamindude and smiled. "We're gonna be the best team ever!"

Flamindude nodded his head with determination. "Yeah!" He held the tooth on his necklace in his paw. 'This is gonna be the adventure of a lifetime.'

**Yes I know that Ash and Gary were older when they found the Pokeball but I don't care. I'm changing it! This is sort of a prologue so everyone knows how Ginny and Flamindude meet. I don' t want anyone being confused by me just sending Ginny off with her already acquired Charmander. Chapter 2 will come soon! Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay. I was on vacation for a few days. Now, I'd like to clear a few things up. First off, I typed the first story wrong. Ginny was actually around 5-6ish in the first chapter. Also, Ginny has bright emerald green eyes. Finally, you are all probably wondering how I came up with the name Flamindude. I got my first Pokemon game, FireRed, when I was younger and one of my friends had a Squirtle named Surferdude. I liked the idea so I wanted to name my Charmander Flamingdude. Sadly, there weren't enough spaces so his name became Flamindude and the name sorta stuck. Get it? Good! Now, this part of the story takes place 4-5 years later when Ginny and Ash are finally ten and are both starting their journey.**

Ginny smiled as she woke up. Most Trainers to be try to wake up at the crack of dawn to get the best Pokemon possible from Professor Oak. Ginny on the other hand, already had her first Pokemon and was able to sleep in. She stretched as she sat up in her bed and looked around. She smiled to see Flamindude looking up at her expectantly. He had been waiting for her to wake up. For the past week, her partner had been itching to get going. Now, it was time to receive her Trainer license and begin her journey. She stretched her tired limbs before standing up. "Okay, Flamindude. I know what you want." Flamindude nodded earnestly. "Char!" At that moment, she saw Ash tearing past her bedroom in his pajamas. "Oh man! I'm gonna be late!" She heard him groan as he ran past. She checked the clock. 'He'd better hurry if he wants to get his Pokemon!' She thought to herself, worried that her brother might be let down.

Flamindude bounced up and down as he ran alongside Ginny. They were both running as fast as they could run. 'Oh man! This is gonna be amazing! I know I'm ready! Time to battle! Time to travel! Oh yeah!' At that moment, he heard a cry. "I DON'T WANNA GO!!!" He then heard the distinct sound of an electric attack. He rounded the corner to see a Pikachu zapping Ash and everyone else around him. Flamindude ran over. "Hey, Pikachu! What's the matter with you?" Pikachu scowled. "I don't wanna travel! I wanna stay right here! I don't like this kid! He's too weak and stupid!" Flamindude smiled. "Trust me, Pikachu. I had the same problem. I found someone who is perfect for me though." Pikachu's ears drooped and he sighed. "I heard about you from some of the other Pokemon. I wish I were so lucky! There's no way out for me!' Flamindude smiled. "Don't worry, Pikachu. Ash is a great kid! Yeah he's a few embers short of a flamethrower but he has a good heart!" Pikachu sighed. "Fine. I'll go but I won't like it and I WILL NOT get in one of those Pokeballs!" Flamindude nodded. "I hear you!"

Ginny bent down. "Oh…" She whispered, gazing at Pikachu. "He's adorable! I want one!" Pikachu looked at her for a moment before turning away in a sulking way. "Well, at least he gets along with Flamindude." She stood up again and smiled at Ash. "Thought you'd leave without saying goodbye?" Ash grinned. "I'd never leave without you, Ginny!" Ginny smiled sadly. "Listen, Ash. I've been thinking for a long time and I think it's for the best that we each travel on our own." Ash's grin faltered a little. "R-really?" Ash stammered. Ginny put a hand on his shoulder. "Ash…we've been together all our lives. Our journeys need to give us more independence and help us discover ourselves. We can't do that unless we learn more about ourselves separately." Ash nodded. "Okay…I understand." He hugged his sister. "Good luck, Ginny." Ginny smiled and hugged her brother back. "You too, Ash!" At that moment, Gary caught Ginny's eye. He walked over with confidence. "Hi Ginny! Hey there, Ashy-boy!" Ash scowled. "Well, well! This Pikachu doesn't seem to like you too much." Ash glared. "You don't know anything, Gary! Pikachu and me are gonna be best friends!" Pikachu responded by shocking him. Gary snorted. "Yeah right! Like you'll ever become good enough to beat me!" "GARY, GARY, HE'S OUR MAN! IF HE CAN'T DO IT, NO ONE CAN!" Ginny noticed that Gary had a group of cheerleaders squealing for him and gave them all a withering look. 'Don't you dimwits have anything better to do with your lives? Is cheering for someone else really all your mental capacity allows?' She also felt a small pang of jealousy as she saw Gary eating up the stupid fangirl squeals with a grin. 'Seriously, Gary? Seriously?' She rolled her eyes before walking over. "So, Gary. What's keeping you here?" Gary turned toward her with a smile. "Come on, Ginny! I had to say goodbye, didn't I?" Ginny's eyes softened. While he was a little selfish and hard headed, he was still Gary. She hugged him close. "I'll miss you." She muttered. Gary patted her back nervously. "M-me too!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. It was a black cord with a pendant that looked like an ember on the end. "Here." He muttered. "It's for luck." Ginny smiled and put it around her neck. "Thanks Gary! I see you're wearing the pendant I gave you." She indicated the yellow and green circle that he was wearing at his heart. "Well, yeah! It looks pretty good on me!" He paused. "Hey, Ginny…would you maybe be interested in…traveling with me?" Ginny sighed. "Gary…I need to travel on my own. I want to get to know my Pokemon and myself. I think that'll require some solo time." Gary sighed. "Okay…I guess this is goodbye until next time…" He seemed to want to hug her but didn't. Instead, he jumped into his red car. "See you soon, Ashy-boy! I'll enjoy beating you!" Ash stood there fuming while Ginny stood still until Gary disappeared. At that moment, Professor Oak walked over. "Hello, Ginny!" He said. "I thought you'd find some use in these." He handed her a Pokedex and six Pokeballs. "This is your Pokedex, Dexie **(a combo of Dixie and Dex)**. It will tell you all you need to know about Pokemon and it is also your identification as a Trainer. Do not lose it! And these are six Pokeballs. This one is Flamindude's and the other five are for catching Pokemon. Use them well." Ginny nodded. "Thanks, Professor!"

Flamindude looked warily at the round object that Ginny now held in her hand. 'I do not want to be stuck there! I want to see everything Ginny sees! I want to walk! No way am I going in there!' Ginny looked down at Flamindude. Ash turned to Pikachu. "Okay, Pikachu! Get into your Pokeball!" He tossed his Pokeball at Pikachu. Pikachu snorted. "Yeah right!" He whacked the ball back with his tail. This kept going on between the two before Ash finally gave up. Ginny smiled. "Don't worry, Flamindude. These Pokeballs are for catching only. Any Pokemon of mine is going to be free 24-7! Flamindude sighed in relief. "Thank goodness!" He said. Pikachu sighed. "Well, maybe I'll see you later on, Charmander." Flamindude nodded. "You probably will. Oh, and by the way, my name is Flamindude!" Pikachu nodded. "Okay! Goodbye, Flamindude!" After accepting some packages from his mom, Ash set off. After being hugged and kissed by her mother, Ginny slung her own back over her shoulder and started to walk off, Flamindude following close behind. Flamindude heard Delia call after them as they walked. "Did you pack clean underwear?" "Yes mom." "Did you pack water bottles?" "Yes mom." "Did you go to the bathroom?" "Yes mom." "Do you have packaged food?" "Yes mom." "Will you call home every now and then?" "Yes mom." "Are you really hearing me?" "Yes mom." "Are you just saying 'Yes mom' to get me to stop talking?" "Yes mom." "Excuse me?!" "Yes mom?" Ginny turned around, staring dumbly. Flamindude started rolling on the ground laughing.

After FINALLY getting her mother off her back, Ginny started walking. "Well, Flamindude. The first stop is Viridian City! I guess we need to get some new friends." Flamindude nodded. Some Beedrill flew by and Ginny shuddered. "I don't want Beedrill though…" She muttered. Flamindude nodded in agreement. "Char!"

Pidgey glared at the Spearow in front of her. "Get away from here Spearow, you bully!" Spearow smirked. "Who's gonna stop me? You?" Pidgey spread her wings in front of the little Weedle. "You have no right to be picking on this Weedle! Get out of here!" Spearow smirked. "Okay, you asked for it!" He jumped into the air and flew at her, intending to jab her with a Peck attack. Pidgey smirked and opened her wings. 'Eat this…' She sent a Gust attack at the Spearow which sent it back. Spearow got up and sniffled. Pidgey laughed. "Not so touch now, are you?" She smirked and turned to Weedle. "You can go. It's safe now." Weedle sniffed. "Thank you…" He whispered timidly before worming (Sliding…slithering…?) off. Pidgey turned around and her eyes widened with fear. 'Oh no…it's Spearow's mom…' Spearow was smirking at her and a Fearow was standing there staring very unpleasantly. 'This is gonna hurt…'

**Will Pidgey be okay? How does Ginny fit into Pidgey's dilema? Will Ginny get to Viridian City? I'm not telling! You'll just have to wait for the next exciting installment of "Ginny Ketchum- A Fiery Legend"! Review! It makes me and Flamindude happy! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I'm trying to update more frequently so here's Chapter 3! Enjoy! In this chapter, Ginny and Flamindude come across a certain Pidgey who needs their help and another Pokemon who becomes friends with them.**

Fearow let out a shriek of anger. "PIDGEY! YOU ARE GOING TO GET IT NOW!" She took to the sky and swooped down toward Pidgey. Pidgey whimpered. 'This can't be good.' She started to fly away but Fearow threw her to the ground with a Wing Attack. "HELP!" She yelled.

Ginny stopped dead in her tracks. "Did you hear that, Flamindude?" She asked. Flamindude nodded. "Char!" "PIDGEEEEEEEEEY!" She gasped. "There's a Pokemon in trouble!" She started to run toward the sound. They ran into the clearing where she saw a Fearow pecking the living daylights out of a little Pidgey. "Flamindude! Use Ember attack!" She shouted. "CHAR!" He sent a stream of embers at Fearow. 'That didn't even affect her!" The Fearow turned on Flamindude and let out an angry squawk. "Char…" "Come on, Flamindude! Try a Scratch attack!" Flamindude nodded and leapt at Fearow, extending his claws. He was thrown back by a whack from Fearow's wing. "Flamindude! Are you okay?" Flamindude slowly stood up and nodded. "Char…" He let out another stream of embers which Fearow easily blew back with her wings. "It's not working…Flamindude, why don't you try reasoning with her?" Flamindude looked doubtfully at Ginny before walking over.

Flamindude looked up at Fearow. "Okay, Fearow. Why were you attacking that Pidgey?" Fearow glared. "That Pidgey was beating up my son!" Pidgey groaned and tried to stand up. "I did one lousy Gust attack and your son was the one picking on that Weedle!" Fearow screeched in anger. "SILENCE!" Flamindude flinched back nervously before stepping forward again. "Listen, you can't go hurting Pokemon smaller than you are! Why don't you and your son just go?" Fearow narrowed her eyes. "Not a chance! Get ready, Charmander! I'll take you down along with Pidgey!" She shot at him with a Quick Attack before beginning to peck at him like he was a coconut or something. He screamed in pain. "NO!" Pidgey summoned the last of her strength to shoot a blinding tornado of dust at Fearow while a panicked Flamindude let loose a Smoke Screen attack, shrouding the whole area in dust and smoke making vision impossible.

A Pikachu looked up and perked up her ears. 'What is that racket?' She wondered before a familiar shriek was heard. 'Oh no…Fearow is causing trouble again…' She started to dash toward the racket. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a huge wall of dust and smoke. She pricked her ears and listened for a moment. "OW! GIVE HER ANOTHER EMBER, FLAMINDUDE!" "GET AWAY FROM ME!" "SPEAROW, WHERE ARE YOU?!" "PIDGEY! DID I HIT YOU?!" 'Okay…I've heard enough…time for a Thundershock!' She took a deep breath and prepared to unleash her attack.

Ginny was coughing so much, she was surprised that she hadn't passed out from lack of oxygen. "F-Flamindude…" She muttered before collapsing. At that moment, she heard a cry. "PI-KA-CHUUUUUUUU!!!!" At that moment, she felt a powerful jolt go through her body, immobilizing her. She groaned and tried to move but couldn't. Slowly, the smoke and dust cleared away, giving her clear vision. She blinked in surprise when she saw a very agitated looking Pikachu standing in the center of the clearing. All around were similarly shocked Pokemon. Ginny groaned and managed to force herself to sit up. "Flamindude…Pidgey…" She called weakly. The Pikachu looked at her for a moment before turning to the fallen Fearow. "Pikachu! Pika-pika! Pikachu!" 'Is that Ash's Pikachu…?' She wondered for a moment. 'No…she's a girl…and has an indent on the end of her tail…' Pikachu seemed to be scolding the Fearow and Spearow. The Fearow stood up and squawked sulkingly before taking Spearow and walking off. Ginny turned and saw Flamindude lying down in front of Pidgey. Apparently, he had attempted to shield her from the attack. She smiled. 'Good old Flamindude…' She turned to Pikachu. "Thank you, Pikachu. You saved us." Pikachu smiled and nodded. "Pika!" She then turned her attention to her own Pokemon. "Flamindude, are you okay?" Flamindude slowly sat up and nodded. "Char…" She reached down and picked up the Pidgey, cradling her on her lap. "Now that things are calm, let's learn a little more." She pulled out Dexie. "Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. While it doesn't like to fight, it will sent up powerful whirlwinds of dust when threatened. It is an ideal target for rookie trainers." She smiled. "Do you hear that, Pidgey? Sounds like we're a good match." Pidgey smiled weakly. "Pidgey…" Ginny stood up painfully, still holding Pidgey. "Once we get to Viridian City, we'll go to a Pokemon Center. Until then, you and Flamindude should take it easy." Pidgey looked down at Ginny's belt which held her Pokeballs and pointed at one with her beak. Ginny blinked. "What's that? You want to join my team?" Pidgey nodded. Ginny smiled. "Okay." She gently put Pidgey down on the ground and threw a Pokeball. It quivered for a moment before clicking. Ginny picked it up again and threw it, bringing Pidgey back out. "I'll name you Skywing. How does that sound?" Skywing nodded. "Now, I don't believe in keeping Pokemon cooped up in Pokeballs so I hope you don't mind walking." She reached down and picked her up again. "But for now, I think you shouldn't move around too much. You certainly got the worst of this situation." She looked at Skywing's numerous wounds with concern. "Hey, Flamindude? Can you walk okay?" Flamindude checked himself over and nodded. She turned to Pikachu. "Hey, Pikachu? Do you know the fastest way to Viridian City?" Pikachu nodded. "Do you think you could take us there? I mean…I wouldn't ask but…neither Flamindude nor Skywing are in any position to fight if we run into something else and…" Pikachu held up a paw to silence her. "Pikachu." Ginny smiled. "Thanks, Pikachu!"

Flamindude smiled at Pikachu as they walked alongside Ginny. "That was a powerful, attack!" Pikachu smiled. "Thank you! I've had many opportunities to use it." "Why's that?" "That's not the first time Fearow has caused trouble around here. Me and a bunch of other Pikachu formed a group. Since our electric attacks are powerful against Fearow, we decided to band together to try and stop her antics." "Oh, so there are other Pikachu who help out?" "Sure, lots of us. We don't like seeing other Pokemon and humans hurt so we try to keep that from happening. Unfortunately, when there's a bunch of smoke and dust everywhere, we can't prevent our attacks from taking out both parties." Flamindude shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'd rather be hit by one electric shock than by a billion jabs from a sharp beak." Pikachu nodded. "That's what I figured."

Ginny watched Flamindude and Pikachu talking and smiled. 'Looks like we've made a new friend.' She then turned her attention to Skywing who wasn't saying much. "Hey, Skywing? Are you okay?" Skywing let out a weak chirp. She felt a pang of worry. 'She really took a beating. I hope she'll be okay.' She looked up at the sky. 'And it looks like a storm is coming. I'd better hurry.' She started to run faster.

Pikachu looked up at Ginny as she ran. 'This girl really cares about Pokemon…' She turned her focus back to the road. 'Maybe that's why she didn't try to catch me. She wants my consent first. I don't think she would have caught Skywing unless Skywing had wanted it. Maybe…after Skywing is healed…' She looked up and smiled. 'Here's that human city! Viridian City, here we come!'

Flamindude smiled when Viridian City came into view. 'Thank goodness! I need a break.' He glanced up at Skywing. 'Though, I should consider myself lucky considering Skywing's condition. I just hope that we don't get there too late!'

Skywing felt so weak… 'I can barely move…breathe…that last electric shock really got me…' She opened her eyes but her vision was blurry. 'Ginny…please save me…'

**I'm stopping right there. Will Ginny's newest Pokemon survive? Will Pikachu decide to travel with Ginny? What awaits in the future? Only I know! Oh, here's a quick side note from the previous chapter: Did anyone notice the fact that the necklace that Ginny gave him in this story is the necklace you see him wearing in the anime? Just some trivia for ya'll. Later!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm slightly tired and sore from horse back riding, but I am updating because I'm such a great person! Oh, and I've noticed that I have typo problems but my computer is screwy so I can't correct them. _ Anyway, I got a comment from PokemonfanXxX stating that it would have been great if Gary had saved Ginny. I agree, it would have but since Gary and Ginny only just went their separate ways, they can't be expected to meet again so soon. Don't worry though. Gary will return! Oh, and I'm gonna let you in on a little treat. The name for the Gary/Ginny pairing is Eonshipping. You will discover why later on! Enjoy Chapter 4!**

Ginny rushed down the path into Viridian City. "Don't worry, Skywing! It won't be long now!" Skywing didn't reply. 'She's getting weaker…Oh where is that Pokemon Center?' At that moment, she felt a strong hand grab her from behind. "Hold it right there! Where are you going with these Pokemon?" Ginny turned her head to see a uniformed lady glaring suspiciously at her. Her nametag said "Officer Jenny". Ginny tried to struggle out of her grasp. "The Pokemon Center!" "Why aren't they in their Pokeballs?" Ginny struggled even more. "I don't have time for this, Officer! I need to get Skywing healed fast!" "So you claim to be the Trainer of these Pokemon." "Well Pikachu isn't my Pokemon but…" "Ah-ha! I knew it! There are Pokemon thieves in the area, you know! Everyone is a suspect!" Ginny groaned. "Look, just tell me where the Pokemon Center is! No matter what I am, Skywing won't last much longer!" Jenny breathed a resigned sigh. "Fine. I'll take you there but I'm keeping a close eye on you!" Ginny suddenly remembered something Professor Oak had told her. "Look, here's my Pokedex!" Jenny snatched Dexie and looked it over for a moment before nodding and handing it back. "Very well, then. I'll ride you there." Ginny put Pikachu on her shoulder and jumped into the side car of Jenny's motorcycle. Flamindude squeezed in with her right before the bike took off at blinding speed.

Flamindude tightly shut his eyes as the bike skidded to a halt in front of the front desk of the Pokemon Center. 'Who let this road hog become a motorcycle cop?!' He wondered as he stumbled out of the sidecar. "Jenny…we have a driveway you know…" A red haired girl muttered. "Sorry, Joy! We have a Pidgey in need of your help!" Nurse Joy took Skywing from Ginny. Ginny watched her take Skywing out of her arms. "How can I help?" Nurse Joy turned and snapped angrily. "You can help by taking better care of your Pokemon." Flamindude felt anger swell up within him. 'I ought to send a stream of embers her way!' He thought bitterly. Ginny's eyes filled with tears. "It's not my fault…" She whispered. Joy's face softened. "I'm sorry. I can tell by looking at you that you love this Pidgey. I'm sure that whatever happened was an accident." She placed Skywing on a stretcher. "I just lose my temper sometimes when I see Pokemon in pain." She turned to her Chansey. "Take this Pidgey to the critical care unit." She glanced at Flamindude. "And bring some ointment for this Charmander." She added before following the Chansey into the emergency room. One stayed behind and began rubbing a weird smelling cold goop all over Flamindude. "Yuck!" He muttered. Chansey smiled. "It will help the pain. Don't worry. You will both feel better soon." Flamindude fidgeted as she put ointment on his face. "Thanks…" He muttered, scrunching his nose at the scent of the medicine.

Ginny suddenly heard an obnoxious voice shout, "RING, RING, RING! RING, RING, RING! PHONE CALL! PHONE CALL!" She quickly picked up the phone. "Hello?" She muttered. A picture appeared on the screen. "Professor Oak!" She gasped. The Professor smiled at her. "Ah, Ginny! I had a feeling that you would be in Viridian by this time! How has your journey been so far?" Ginny sighed. "Not good. I have a new Pokemon but I'm not sure if she's gonna make it." "How did this happen?" "A run in with an angry Fearow…" Professor Oak nodded. "That's a coincidence…Gary called a few hours ago and said something about trying to catch a fierce looking Fearow…He had already caught some new Pokemon as well. Along with his Squirtle, he now has a blue Nidoran and a Geodude." Ginny smiled. "Well, Gary was always quick to make himself stronger." Professor Oak nodded thoughtfully. "Yes…he certainly is…Well, Ginny I'd best be off. One last thing though, Gary told me that he left a note with one of the Nurses for you. Bye!" Ginny blinked. "A note?" She turned to Chansey who had just finished tending to Flamindude. "Chansey! Chansey!" She said and handed Ginny a piece of paper. "Thank you." Ginny said before opening the note. "Hey, Ginny! I knew that you'd get here after me! I was always the fast one after all though twenty bucks says that you got here before your brother. Anyway, I caught some new Pokemon and I hope you did too! I intend to battle you the next time we meet and it had better be a good one! Say hi to Flamindude for me, okay? Your pal, Gary." Ginny smiled and looked down at Flamindude. "Gary says hi." She told him before slipping the note into her pocket.

At that moment, the Nurses came back into the room with Skywing on the stretcher. Flamindude rushed over. "Hey, Skywing! Are you okay?" Skywing opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "I feel kinda dizzy but it's getting better every second." Nurse Joy walked over to Ginny. "Your Pidgey will be fine. Give her three hours to recover and you can go back on the road again." Ginny smiled. "Thank you, Nurse Joy!" Skywing smiled. "I bet I can cut that time in half!" Nurse Joy pointed to a room. "You can all rest in there for now. I'm sure you are exhausted!" Flamindude walked after Ginny and Pikachu as they rolled Skywing into the next room. He collapsed on a bed next to Ginny and immediately zonked out.

Ginny awoke to the sound of crashing and the smell of smoke. She sat bolt upright. "Flamindude…are you using Smokescreen again?" Flamindude sat up and shook his head. "Char." She nodded slowly. "Okay then…wanna go check it out?" Flamindude grinned and nodded vigorously. "Char!" She opened the door and jumped back as a bunch of poisonous smelling smoke flooded into the room. A gust of wind blew the smoke back. Ginny turned to see Skywing standing on the stretcher, flapping her wings vigorously. "Skywing! You need to lie down!" Skywing gave her a look that clearly said, "Yeah right!" before jumping onto her shoulder. "Pidgey!" She shouted. Ginny sighed. "I guess there's no stopping you…" She turned and ran headfirst into the smoke. "Pika!" She felt Pikachu jump onto her other shoulder as she ran. "Ekanssssss!" Ginny turned to see a large snake like Pokemon staring them down. She pulled out Dexie. "Ekans, the Snake Pokemon. This poisonous serpent is known for eating the eggs of Pidgey and Spearow whole." Ginny immediately glanced at Skywing who was eyeing the snake nervously. Ekans let out a hiss before charging at them. "Flamindude! Use Ember!" "CHAR!" Flamindude sent a stream of fire at Ekans who shook her head for a moment before charging again. Ginny groaned. "Come on, let's get out of here!" She turned and ran back into the smoke. "KOFFING!" "Oh no…what now?" She saw a Koffing and a Meowth staring them down. The Ekans came up behind her and stood by Meowth and Koffing.

Flamindude stepped forward. "Okay, what do you guys want?!" He was surprised to hear the Meowth reply in human language. "We're here to swipe any and all rare Pokemon! That's what we want, you nosy little Charmander!" Ginny gasped. "You're the Pokemon thieves!" Meowth smirked. "Well, I'm the brains of the bunch anyways. My two friends are busy elsewhere but I think we can handle you." Ginny narrowed her eyes. "You aren't getting any Pokemon!" Flamindude nodded. "Yeah! You have to get through us first!" Pikachu jumped off of Ginny's shoulder and glared at their opponents. Meowth grinned. "Sounds like a challenge!" With that, he extended his claws and leapt at Flamindude. "Flamindude, use Ember!" Flamindude took a deep breath and shot a stream of embers at Meowth. "Skywing, use Peck!" Skywing let out a caw before starting to peck at Ekans' eyes. "Pikachu, use Thundershock!" Pikachu sent a huge wave of electricity at Koffing. While Ekans and Koffing seemed pretty well occupied, the embers didn't seem to faze Meowth one bit. He shook it off before leaping at Flamindude once more. "Eat this!" He slashed his claws across Flamindude's face. Flamindude let out a cry of pain as the dagger like claws struck him. He groaned. "That's it!" He took a deep breath before sending a huge wave of flames at Meowth. 'Was that a Flamethrower attack?' Meowth let out a cry of pain and was thrown back into a wall. Flamindude looked up at Ginny. "Come on! We need to get out of here!" At that moment, he could hear a familiar voice. "PIKA POWER!" Ginny froze while running. Flamindude also stopped. 'Is that Ash and his Pikachu facing off against those goons?' Flamindude looked up on Ginny's shoulder. "Hey, Pikachu, what do you suggest?" Pikachu looked around in a panic. "I suggest making for the door! Now!" Flamindude nodded and bolted toward the door just as a huge bolt of lightning shot down into the Pokemon Center.

Ginny felt Pikachu leap from her shoulder and noticed Flamindude shooting forward. She heard a huge boom behind her and grabbed Skywing in her arms at the last moment before being thrown forward by scattering debris. She scrunched her eyes shut as ashes rained down on her. After a few minutes, she slowly opened her eyes and looked around. "Is everyone okay?" She asked. She heard the three Pokemon reply. Breathing a sigh of relief, she sat up and hugged Skywing. "It looks like you are fully recovered." Skywing nodded and flapped her wings. "Pidgey!" Pikachu shook her head to get some dust off of her ears as Flamindude looked around curiously. Ginny smiled. "Well, I'm glad everyone is okay." At that moment, a Chansey walked over and began checking them over. "We're fine, Chansey. Is there anything we can do to help." Chansey shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. "Okay. Thanks for everything!" Chansey nodded and walked off. Ginny stood up. "Well, I think that our next stop is Pewter City." She turned to Pikachu. "Thank you for everything, Pikachu. If you want to go back home, you can. You were amazing." Pikachu shook her head and sent a small shock at Flamindude. Flamindude jumped up and the ember on his tail grew much bigger. Ginny blinked. "What's that? You want to battle?" Pikachu nodded and pointed to a Pokeball. Ginny grinned. "Okay then! Let's go!"

Pikachu felt static emanating from her cheeks and smiled in anticipation. 'Time for a Quick Attack!' She started zooming in circles around Flamindude. Flamindude looked around frantically, trying to figure out where his opponent was. She felt the satisfying thud as her head came into contact with his stomach. Flamindude let out a cry of pain before standing up again. "Flamindude, use Ember!" Flamindude let out a stream of embers at Pikachu. She felt the annoying burning all over her fur as she sent out a Thundershock. "Use Flamethrower!" The fire and lightening hit each other with great force. Pikachu pushed her attack with all her might but the fire soon overtook her. With a yelp she fell back. "Pokeball, go!" She felt walls being put up around her. She threw herself against the walls, struggling for a long time before finally giving up. "You got me." She muttered, lying down. At that moment, she felt the walls disappearing and she looked up at Ginny's face as she smiled down at her. "Great battle! I think I'll call you Lightning!" Lightning felt her cheeks spark up. 'Yeah! Lightning! That's perfect!' She jumped up onto Ginny's shoulder as Skywing took to the air. Ginny grinned. "Next stop, Pewter City!" The four friends turned to the path ahead of them with excitement. Nothing could beat them!

**This one is a little longer than the others because it contained the attack from Team Rocket and Lightning's capture. Hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter will take place during their travels through the Viridian Forest. See you soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone! I'm loving these reviews that I'm getting! Resilient Rose stated that it would be cool if Ginny got an Eevee and evolved it into an Espion. All I can say is…you're close. You're REAL close! ^_^ Anyway, this next chapter takes place in the Viridian Forest. Ginny and her Pokemon are traveling to Pewter City when an old enemy comes out and a forbidden love blossoms!**

The moon was full and beautiful. The only sound that night was the soft breeze whistling through the treetops. Most of the Pokemon were sleeping but there were two who were wide awake. The two Meowths walked close to each other, enjoying the night air. The male Meowth walked on his hind legs while the female Meowth walked on all fours. She smiled at him. He was odd but that's what she enjoyed about him. When he spoke, he spoke in human language but his voice still sounded sweet. They had spent many nights together ever since he had come into the area to stalk Viridian City. Mostly they walked through the trees in silence while other times they talked. He would tell her about life with his friends in Team Rocket. Tonight he spoke of his recent failure in stealing any Pokemon. While she didn't like the fact that he stole Pokemon for a living, she was willing to look past it. She told him of life in the forest and of her favorite flowers. Tonight, she spoke of her new Trainer and new friends. They looked up. The sun was coming out. The two bid farewell to each other before going their separate ways until the next night.

Ginny opened her eyes and yawned. 'Well…time to keep going…' She looked around. 'Skywing, Lightning, Flamindude…not again…' She stood up. "Lynx!" She called. "Lynx, where are you?" It wasn't long before the Meowth came running through the bushes. Ginny smiled. "Lynx, what do you do all night?" She picked her up. "When do you even sleep?" Her question was answered by Lynx falling asleep in her arms. She rolled her eyes. "Okay everyone! Time to wake up!" Flamindude groaned and sat up where he was lying. Skywing opened her eyes and swooped down from the tree she was perched in. Lightning stretched her limbs and yawned. "Look sharp everyone!" She poured out four bowls of Pokemon food. "Come on, Lynx. You need to eat." Lynx groaned quietly before leaping down to eat a few mouthfuls of food. "Lynx…I don't like doing this but tonight I forbid you to go out. You're looking half dead all the time and you need your sleep." Lynx glared for a moment before nodding her head in understanding. Ginny smiled. "I just don't want you getting sick. I don't mind you going out at night but I want you to sleep once in awhile." Lynx nodded. "Meow." Ginny stood up and looked around. Movement caught her eye. A small magenta colored Pokemon padded into view. 'What Pokemon is that?' She looked at Dexie. "Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokemon. Nidoran has different appearances based on gender. The blue ones are always female while the magenta ones are always male. They have very dangerous poison barbs all over their bodies." Ginny remembered Professor Oak saying something about Gary catching a blue Nidoran. She glanced at Dexie. 'The magenta ones are quite cute!' She turned to Lynx. "Maybe a battle will wake you up. How about it?"

Lynx groaned softly as she stood up. She just wanted to sleep but it was her own fault for going out at night once again. She just couldn't help it. Meowth was just so amazing! She looked at the Nidoran. 'One battle and then I'll catch some Z's.' "Lynx, use Scratch attack!" Lynx jumped at the Nidoran and ran her claws across him. She felt a twinge of pain as her claws made contact with one of the barbs. The Nidoran turned on her and sent a Poison Sting her way, further hurting her insides. She groaned before scratching him once more. "Finish him off with Fury Swipes!" Lynx took a deep breath before scratching the living daylights out of Nidoran. She watched Ginny throw a Pokeball at the Nidoran. It trembled for a moment before clicking. Lynx smiled. 'We won! That did wake me up!' Her thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly felt weakness wash over her. 'Oh no…the poison…'

Ginny threw the Pokeball and looked at her new Pokemon. "Welcome to the team! I think I'll call you Prince." Prince looked up curiously at her. "Nido?" He turned his head and noticed Lynx's unfinished bowl of food. "Nido!" He bounded over and ate all of the food within a few seconds. Ginny picked him up, being careful of the barbs. "Now, now, Prince. I can give you your own food. No need to steal from Lynx." She turned to Lynx. "You did great, Lynx! You-" She stopped suddenly when she saw her Meowth lying on the ground. "Lynx? Are you okay?" Lynx looked up weakly at her. "Meow…" Ginny pulled out Dexie. "What's wrong?!" She asked. "Nidoran's special ability is Poison Point. Physical attacks are likely to cause the user to become poisoned." Ginny gasped. "Poisoned?!" She looked at Lynx. "Is there a cure?!" "Poisoning is cured when a Pokemon eats a Pecha Berry." Ginny nodded. "Okay…" She carefully studied the picture. She turned to Skywing. "Okay, Skywing. Fly out and try to find a berry that looks like this." She showed Skywing the picture. Skywing nodded. "Pidgey!" She flew off. "Everyone else, split up! I'll go that way, Flamindude will go that way, Lightning will go that way, and Prince will go that way. Okay?" All of the Pokemon nodded and split up. Ginny picked up Lynx. "Hang in there, girl. You'll be okay."

Meowth's ears perked up. "Hey, fellas! Something's coming!" Jessie looked up. "What is it?" Meowth narrowed his eyes and glared into the bushes. "It's a Charmander!" He peered closer. "Hey! That's the same Charmander that torched me at the Pokemon Center!" James smiled. "A Charmander that fierce would be greatly appreciated by the Boss!" Jessie grinned. "My thoughts exactly!" Meowth reached into their bags and pulled out a net. Jessie grabbed the net and slowly crept up behind the Charmander. "Gotcha!" She grabbed the Charmander in the net and tied it up. Charmander started using Flamethrower and Meowth laughed. "Nice try! That there net is immune to all attacks! The Boss will like you!" The Charmander started yelling as Jessie and James took him to the balloon. "Let me out! I gotta find a Pecha Berry! Lynx won't last too long!" Meowth's ears perked up and he blinked a few times. 'Lynx? Did he say Lynx?'

Flamindude struggled desperately. 'These stupid things are so tight! Come on! Why did this have to happen?! Ginny already has a poisoned Meowth! She's got enough to worry about without having to look for me!' He heard the human with blue hair talking to someone on a telephone. "Yes, Boss! We caught you a very powerful Charmander. Yes, it has an amazing Flamethrower attack! Really? Wonderful! Yes, we'll send him shortly!" Flamindude felt dread sinking into his stomach. 'I don't like the sound of this! Any Boss of Pokemon thieves can't love Pokemon! I don't wanna go there forever!' He tried once more to break the net but to no avail. He sighed in resignation and sat down. "Psst!" He heard a voice hiss at him. "Hey, over here!" He turned to see Prince looking out at him. "What happened to you?" He whispered. Flamindude smiled. "Prince! Thank goodness! I got captured! Did you find the Pecha Berry yet?" Prince shook his head. "No…I feel really bad. It's my fault that she's poisoned." "Don't blame yourself! It was only self defense at the time!" At that moment, Meowth jumped down out of a tree. "Get out of here, Prince!" Flamindude said desperately. Meowth held up a paw. "Hold on a second." He turned to Prince. "What is the name of this Pokemon that needs a Pecha Berry?" Prince promptly replied. "Lynx! She's a Meowth!" Meowth nodded slowly. "Okay…" He turned and untied Flamindude's net. Flamindude blinked. "Why are you doing that?" Meowth pointed with his paw. "I saw a bush that way. Keep going straight ahead between those trees until you get to it." "Why are you helping us?" "I got my reasons now scram!" He growled back. Flamindude nodded before running off with Prince in the direction Meowth had pointed. 'We gotta find it! For Lynx!' He thought desperately. He pushed his questions about Meowth's actions as he continued to run as if his life depended on it.

**Well, whaddaya think? I added a little more plot and suspense, eh? Ginny now has five Pokemon! Not a bad team either! Now, I know that I could keep typing and tell you what happens to Lynx. I just don't feel like it. You'll have to wait until Chapter 6! Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I waited awhile before writing this next chapter because it involves some cuteness with Lynx and Meowth and my recent RocketShipping story basically squeezed every ounce of fluff out of my system. Oh well, I can improvise! **

**Jessie- If you had eased up on the fluff, this wouldn't have happened! **

**Me- Oh be quiet! You know you loved the excuse to get sappy with James!**

**Jessie- *blush* Did not!**

**James- Did too!**

**Jessie- You stay out of this!**

**James- *pouty face***

**Me- Don't worry, James. You know she did! ^_^**

Flamindude sniffed the bushes and looked carefully at the berries. 'Yep…these look like the berries in the picture…' He turned to Prince. "These are the Pecha Berries!" Prince nodded. "Let's pick a couple just in case." Flamindude grabbed an armful of berries while Prince shoved as many as he could into his mouth. "Let's go!" Flamindude said. Prince nodded and followed. As they walked, Flamindude had time to think. 'Why did Meowth let us go? As soon as he heard about Lynx, he acted different. Could it be that when Lynx goes out at night…she…' He shook his head. 'No. That can't be it…then again it makes sense…I'll have to ask her about it once she gets better.' He noticed the Team Rocket balloon taking to the sky and picked up the pace. Prince's ears twitched slightly as he walked. He paused briefly before continuing to follow Flamindude. Flamindude turned to Prince. "Did you hear something?" Prince spat out the berries and nodded. "Yeah. That Meowth was saying that you had escaped and one of the humans mentioned something about trying to steal a Pikachu." Flamindude stared. "Do you think they're talking about Lightning?!" Prince shrugged. "I don't know but they have a grudge against the trainer." Flamindude's sense of dread increased. "We did rough those bad Pokemon up a lot back in Viridian…It must be us! We gotta get back and warn Ginny!" Prince nodded and picked up the berries before following Flamindude once more.

Ginny looked around desperately. 'Still nothing!' She looked down at Lynx. 'I should put her down to rest. Moving her like this isn't helping.' She placed Lynx on the ground and began to stroke her fur. "There, there…" She whispered. "It's okay." Lynx mewed weakly. She stared off into space. "You know, it's strange. I only caught you a few days ago yet I feel like I've known you all my life. I suppose it's like that for all of my Pokemon. Is it normal to feel such a strong bond so fast?" Lynx nodded her head. "Meow…" Ginny smiled. "You feel the same way?" Lynx nodded again. "Meow." Ginny patted her gently. "I'm glad. I know that we're going to be a great team. Our adventure together has only begun!" She picked Lynx up once more. "Come on! Let's find those berries! I know that they're close!" Lynx let out a meow that sounded much stronger than before. At that moment, Prince and Flamindude came rushing through the bushes. Flamindude put down a bunch of pink berries that Ginny recognized as Pecha Berries. Prince spat out a couple as well before starting to jump up and down frantically. Ginny held up her hand. "Hold on guys. One thing at a time." She picked up a handful of berries and held them close to Lynx's mouth. She slowly opened her mouth and ate the berries. There was a pause. Lynx closed her eyes for a moment before suddenly jumping out of Ginny's arms. "Meow! Meow, meow!" She jumped into the air happily. Ginny smiled. "Great job, you guys!" Flamindude rushed up to her. "What is it, Flamindude?" Flamindude drew a big R on the ground followed by a picture of what looked like a Koffing and an Ekans. Ginny blinked. "Are you talking about those Pokemon thieves?" Flamindude nodded and drew another picture in the dirt. "Lightning…Are they going to try to steal Lightning?!" Flamindude nodded. "Oh no! Come on, everyone! We need to find her and Skywing!" She turned around. "Lynx…?" Lynx was nowhere to be found.

Lynx shook her head sadly as she ran. 'I hate to be running away from Ginny…it seems so ungrateful! But I've gotta talk to Meowth! He can't steal Lightning! He just can't!' She rounded a corner and could see the balloon in the sky. 'There it is…now how do I get there?!' At that moment, Skywing flew by. "Skywing! Skywing!" Skywing swooped down. "Lynx! You got the berries!" Lynx sighed. "No time to talk! I just found out that Team Rocket is going to try to steal Lightning! You need to fly me up to that balloon!" Skywing gasped. "Steal Lightning?! Why should I fly you to that balloon? They'll try to steal you too!" Lynx shook her head. "No they won't! You need to trust me!" Skywing paused for a moment. "…Okay." She picked up Lynx in her talons and started toward the balloon. Once they got high enough, Lynx leapt into the basket. "What's this?!" "It's raining cats!" "…Lynx?" Lynx turned to see three faces gawking at her. Lynx walked over to Meowth. "Meowth, we need to talk! I heard you were going to try to steal a Pikachu! I can't let you do that! Lightning belongs to Ginny and she's my trainer!" The woman with red hair looked down at Meowth. "Is this a friend of yours, Meowth?" Meowth blushed and nodded. "Yeah…you could say that…" James grinned. "Aw! Meowth has a girlfriend!" Both Meowth and Lynx blushed before Meowth turned to Lynx. "You got it all wrong. We're not nabbing any girl's Pikachu. We're trying to steal the Pikachu of some other twerp." Lynx nodded. "Oh, you mean the one who ruined your attempts in Viridian City?" Meowth groaned and was surrounded by anime blue and black lines. "Don't remind me…" Lynx smiled. "Well since I'm here, I'll help you out!"

Meowth smiled at Lynx. "Thanks!" He turned to Jessie and James. "She's going to help us try to nab Pikachu." Jessie smiled. "Wonderful! The more, the merrier!" She bent down and picked up Lynx. "Your girlfriend is pretty cute, Meowth!" Meowth blushed. 'Yeah…she is…' He looked down. "There they are!" They landed their balloon and jumped out. He waited for his cue before saying, "Meowth! That's right!" At the end of their special motto. He noticed Lynx watching their motto with interest. He grinned slightly with pride before turning to watch the battle. Koffing and Ekans were taking on that Pikachu and a Pigeotto and easily defeated them. Meowth snorted. 'That was easier than I expected.' At that moment, the twerp sent out a Caterpie. Everyone started laughing. Meowth turned to Lynx. "How about that, Lynx? They're sending out a bug!" Lynx jumped over and stood next to him. "That bug may be more than he seems…" Meowth blinked. "What do you-" He was cut off as Caterpie imprisoned Ekans and Koffing with a String Shot. "Okay, it's my turn!" Caterpie then turned his attack on Meowth. Meowth felt himself becoming more and more immobile. 'Oh no…' He fell to the ground and was still. He saw Lynx leaping past him. 'Lynx! No!' He thought. He couldn't say anything out loud.

Lynx felt all thoughts fading away as anger took over her senses. This insect dared to wrap Meowth with his petty String Shot. "You are going down!" She hissed murderously as she rushed toward him. The Caterpie turned on her and sent a String Shot at her. She easily dodged and leapt forward once more. The Caterpie jumped back. "These guys are evil!" He shouted at her. "You don't belong to them! I can tell! Why are you helping them?!" Lynx hissed angrily. "I'm doing it for love, you worm!" She extended her claws and slashed at Caterpie's tender skin. He let out a cry of pain as Lynx followed up with a Bite attack. She shook him a little before throwing him back to the ground. Groaning, he stood up again. "I won't lose! My trainer is counting on me!" These words made Lynx pause. 'Ginny…' She remembered her own trainer at that moment. 'Why am I here? I abandoned her! I shouldn't be doing this!' This brief moment of hesitation was enough for Caterpie to wrap her with sticky threads. She moaned quietly. She couldn't move. She could hear the human shout, "Pikachu, Thundershock!" She heard the Pikachu let out a cry before electricity coursed through every vein. She scrunched her eyes shut and whimpered in pain as she felt herself become airborne. She could feel the wind rushing past her before a throbbing pain in her skull as she landed. 'Ow, ow, ow, ow…' She thought repeatedly. Suddenly, she felt her binds being loosened. She looked up to see the red haired girl, Jessie untying her. Jessie stroked her fur. "There, there. It's okay." Lynx smiled before turning to Meowth. "Meowth, are you okay?" Meowth nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine." She faintly noticed Jessie and James walking away, presumably to give her some time alone with Meowth. She was grateful. Meowth sighed. "Lynx, I don't want you to get involved with Team Rocket business anymore." Lynx gasped. "What do you mean?! Didn't I do well?" Meowth nodded. "Yeah, you did great but I saw you in the end. Your heart wasn't in it. Team Rocket is only for those with the heart for it." Lynx sighed. "I know…I abandoned Ginny. I mean, I left to stop you from stealing Lightning but…I also wanted to see you. That was my main reason and I hoped that…by defeating your enemies, I'd…win you somehow." Meowth smiled. "Lynx…you've already won me." Lynx felt her heart leap. "You mean it?" Meowth nodded. "Of course." Lynx moved over to Meowth and cuddled close to him. Meowth purred a little and hugged her. "Lynx?" The two jumped apart at the familiar voice. Lynx looked out through the trees. "Ginny." Meowth nudged her softly with his paw. "Go. I belong here and you belong with your trainer. That's the way it should be." Lynx nodded. "Oh, and Meowth…I'm not allowed to go out for a few nights. Will I still see you later on?" Meowth sighed. "We're gonna be following the twerps. I…guess this is goodbye for now." "Lynx?" Lynx wiped a tear from her eye. "Well then…goodbye, Meowth." The two embraced and Meowth retreated into the bushes as Ginny broke through the bracken.

Ginny smiled and picked up Lynx. "There you are! Ran off looking for Lightning, didn't you?" Lynx nodded. "Meow!" "Well, don't worry! She's fine! I guess those crooks moved on elsewhere!" Lynx nodded her head slowly. Ginny couldn't help but notice that she seemed sad. "Hey, Lynx? Are you okay?" Lynx shook her head a little before smiling. "Meow!" Ginny grinned in an unsure way. "Okay…" 'She's hiding something… I wonder what she's been doing while we've been looking for her…' She sighed and put Lynx down with the rest of her Pokemon. 'Maybe I'll find out someday…' She looked back toward the road. "Okay, gang! To Pewter City!" Her Pokemon let out enthusiastic cries and ran after her as she bolted down the path. As she ran, she looked at Lynx. She had a faraway look in her eyes and kept looking back over her shoulder. 'Lynx…what happened to you?'

**I think I outdid myself with this chapter! This really goes into Lynx's character… I propose a contest among my readers! When you submit your reviews, also add in a pairing nickname for Lynx and Meowth. The only three rules are that it has to be original, appropriate, and end with Shipping. (EX: PokeShipping, RocketShipping, ContestShipping, all Pokemon fans should already know) The winner will be featured later on in the story! Stay tuned for my next chapter! Bye everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Time for Ginny to discover the Gym! YAY! GYM! Sorry, despite the fact that it's after midnight, I'm strangely hyper! Anyway, I still want more reviews with names for the Lynx/Meowth pairing! So far I have one, from PokemonfanxXx, ForbiddenShipping (me likes). We need more than one if this is gonna be a contest! ^_^ Enjoy!**

Ginny ran into the Pokemon Center. "Thank goodness!" She breathed. Her Pokemon were near exhausted. "Hi, Nurse Joy! Could you revitalize my Pokemon?" Nurse Joy nodded. "Of course!" She paused. "How come none of them are in their Pokeballs?" Ginny shrugged. "I think that keeping Pokemon in Pokeballs limits their experiences and freedom. They actually prefer it that way, don't you guys?" They all nodded their heads in agreement. Nurse Joy shrugged. "It works to build endurance I suppose." She murmured as she motioned for the tired Pokemon to follow her into the next room. Ginny sighed and sat down. 'Well, what do I do now?' She decided to call her mother. She turned to the phones that were sitting a distance away and walked over. She dialed the number and waited. She heard that annoying phone voice saying, "Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call!" 'Could that thing be any more annoying?' She thought as her mom came onto the screen. "Ginny! How are you, dear? Where are you?" Ginny smiled. "Hi, Mom! I'm in Pewter City!" Her mom's eyes sparkled. "Oh, Ginny! You travel so fast! How is Flamindude?" "Flamindude is doing just fine. I also have five Pokemon now!" "Oh, Ginny! I'm so proud of you! I can't wait to tell Professor Oak!" Ginny smiled at her mom's cheerfulness. "Thanks, Mom! Have you heard from Ash recently?" "Yes I have, dear! He called from Viridian City but he sounded very sad…" Ginny was immediately concerned. "Sad? Why?" Her mother shrugged. "Who knows? I only hope that he'll be happier the next time he calls. He has such potential and being sad just wastes it!" Ginny nodded. "I agree…has Professor Oak heard from Gary? How is he?" Her mother got a look on her face and smiled. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Ginny blinked. "Huh?" Her mother smiled. "Look behind you, dear." She said before her face left the screen.

Flamindude sighed and fell back on a soft chair. "This is the life! These nurses sure know how to make a guy comfortable." He turned to Prince and Lynx. "First time in a Center. How do you like it?" Lynx nodded and stretched out on a cushion. "I like it. It's nice and cozy in here. It's much better than my old den in the Forest." Prince rolled over. "It feels nice to relax after that fiasco with the berries. I just hope that the next Pokemon I poison also has a responsible trainer, like Ginny." Flamindude blinked. "You actually plan on poisoning another Pokemon?" Prince shrugged. "Sure. I can't always have these barbs tucked in. When battling, you gotta do what you gotta do. Besides, all official battles take place within reach of a Center so why worry?" Flamindude shrugged. "I guess you're right." He turned to Skywing and Lightning. "I wonder where we'll go from here." Lightning shrugged. "I don't really know. Our goal was to make it to Pewter City but what will we do while here?" Skywing rolled her eyes. "Don't waste time wondering that! We're in a new place! There are new people and Pokemon to see everywhere! Let's just focus on having fun!" All of the Pokemon nodded in agreement. Flamindude grinned. "Skywing, I like the way you think!" Skywing smiled. "Thank you very much!"

Ginny turned her head and blinked in surprise. "Gary!" Gary grinned at her. "Surprised to see me?" Ginny nodded. "Yeah, I'm surprised! What are you doing here?" Gary shrugged. "I was battling the Gym Leader here." "Gym Leader?" Gary nodded. "Yeah! There's this contest called the Pokemon League Challenge. If you battle eight Gym Leaders and win eight badges, you can compete in the Pokemon League. The winner becomes the League Champion." Ginny grinned in excitement. "That sounds fun! I think I'll compete!" Gary shrugged. "Okay but I'm warning you, Brock is pretty rough. He has all Rock type Pokemon. Then again…Squirtle made the battle pretty easy. I gotta admit, I am amazing!" Ginny rolled her eyes. "And modest…" Gary punched her shoulder playfully. "Aw, don't be like that." He handed one of the nurses his Pokeballs before turning back to Ginny. "So, did you get my note?" Ginny nodded though she didn't take it out. 'Showing him I kept it…he'd think I'm stupid!' "Yes, and to answer your questions: Yes, I have caught new Pokemon. Yes, I will battle you. And yes, I did get there before my brother." Gary smirked. "I knew it! Once our Pokemon are healed, we can battle!" At that moment, Ginny's Pokemon all ran over to her. "Hey, guys!" Flamindude immediately ran over and hugged Gary. Gary grinned. "Hiya, Flamindude!" He looked at Ginny's other Pokemon. "Not bad." Ginny turned to her Pokemon. "This is Skywing, Lightning, Lynx, and Prince. Everyone, this is my friend Gary." The Pokemon all smiled and greeted Gary. Nurse Joy brought Gary's Pokemon out and the two faced each other. "So…are you ready?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrow slightly and smirking. Gary grinned back. "I was born ready!"

Lightning jumped up and down with excitement. She heard Gary tell Ginny that this would be a three on three battle. "I caught a Spearow awhile back but he still needs some training so I'll battle with my other three." Ginny nodded. "Sounds good!" Gary threw a Pokeball. "Go! Squirtle!" Squirtle jumped out of his Pokeball and glared intently at Ginny. Ginny turned to Lightning. "Go for it!" Lightning grinned. "Yeah!" She rushed forward. Squirtle smirked slightly at her. "Type advantages mean nothing, electric rat. I can still win, you know." Lightning growled. "It aint over till the fat turtle sings. Would you like a microphone?" You could practically see the lightning bolts between the two Pokemons' eyes. "Lightning, Thunder Bolt!" Lightning took a deep breath. "Squirtle, Withdraw!" Squirtle hid in his shell as Lightning let loose with volts of electricity. 'Coward!' Lightning growled angrily. "Now, use Water Gun!" Squirtle jumped out of his shell and sent a huge jet of water at her. "Use Quick Attack to dodge!" Lightning zoomed out of the way and shot toward Squirtle. "Grab him by the tail!" Lightning took a firm hold of his tail. "Now, finish it with Thunder Shock!" Lightning took a deep breath and sent electricity through every part of Squirtle's body. Squirtle tried to Withdraw but with Lightning sending the volts through his tail, he was powerless. Finally he fainted. Gary sighed. "Squirtle, return." The small turtle disappeared in a beam of red light.

Skywing flapped her wings and cawed with happiness as Lightning beat Squirtle. 'Wow! These battle vibes are contagious!' Ginny turned to her. "Skywing, you're up!" "YAY!" Skywing yelled and flew over. "Bring it on!" She shouted. Gary threw another Pokeball and a blue Nidoran jumped out. Skywing could faintly hear Prince let out a gasp and she turned to see hearts in his eyes. 'Oh boy…' She turned back toward her opponent. 'Good thing Prince isn't fighting.' She let out a screech. "Nidoran, use Poison Sting!" Skywing didn't have time to react as those poisonous jabs sank into her. 'Wow this hurts!!!" She thought as she tried to dodge. "Skywing, use Gust!" Skywing, trying to ignore the stinging, flapped her wings hard and sent up a whirlwind of dirt and dust. "Now, go into the whirlwind and use Quick Attack!" Skywing dived down into the dust where she could see Nidoran coughing and trying to gain her bearings. She tackled Nidoran to the ground. "Now, use Peck!" Skywing started to peck the living daylights out of Nidoran. "Finish her off with Wing Attack!" Skywing opened her wings and threw Nidoran into a nearby tree. "Nidoran, use horn attack!" Nidoran jumped up and with amazing speed, jabbed Skywing with her horn. "Now use Poison Sting while you're close to her!" The Nidoran sent a flurry of poison jabs deep into Skywing. Skywing couldn't hold on any longer…she couldn't…She felt everything go black.

Flamindude looked up at Ginny as she picked up Skywing and carried her back over. 'Please do me next! Please!' He thought. At that moment, Gary sent out a Geodude. Ginny froze noticeably and Flamindude knew why. She had five different types of Pokemon: Fire, Electric, Normal, Poison, and Flying. All of these types were weak against the Rock type. She looked down at Flamindude. "Feeling frisky?" She asked. Flamindude nodded. "You know it!" He stepped forward. Geodude smiled. "Good luck." He said. Flamindude nodded. "Thanks, you too." "Geodude, use Tackle!" Geodude launched himself at Flamindude. "Flamindude, dodge and use Scratch!" Flamindude leapt out of the way and raked his claws across Geodude. He froze as sharp pain shot through his fingers. "YEOWCH!!!!" He howled. "Hard, hard, hard, hard, hard…" He moaned, holding his red paw. "Now, use Rock Throw!" Flamindude looked around just in time to get a face full of rocks. He yelled in pain. "Don't like rocks, don't like rocks!" He whimpered. Why did he feel so weak all of a sudden? This was worse than the battle with Fearow. "Come on, Flamindude! Use Flamethrower!" Flamindude spun around and sent out the biggest burst of fire he had ever breathed out. When the flames cleared, Geodude was perfectly unharmed. 'I can't…feeling so…weak…' "Now, finish him off with Magnitude!" Flamindude suddenly felt the ground shaking under him. Shock waves shot through him. Unable to stand any longer, he collapsed.

Ginny rushed over and picked up Flamindude. "We lost…our first battle…and we lost…" She looked up as Gary walked over. "That was a pretty good battle. Your Pokemon are pretty strong. It's just that mine were stronger." Ginny nodded. "Yeah…Maybe I should give up! If we can't beat your Geodude, I have no chance against Brock!" Gary put a hand on her shoulder. "Now, Ginny! I never thought you were one to give up after one failure." Ginny blinked. "What are you saying?" "I'm saying that if you put your mind to it, you can beat anyone except me!" Ginny rolled her eyes but smiled. "Thank you, Gary." She stood up. "You always know what to say." Gary shrugged. "Well, you know, when you're as awesome as I am, you develop some skills." Ginny gave him a whack on the back of the head **(GIBS SLAP, NCIS fans be happy)**. "Okay, Mr. Awesome." She looked around. "Hey, where are your fangirly cheerleaders?" Gary blinked. "Oh…uh…whoops…I sorta left them at the Gym…I'd better get going!" Ginny smiled. "Why don't you consider walking for a change?" Gary gave her a look. "Are you kidding? I love that car!" He turned and started to walk off before stopping. "One last thing: Try teaching Flamindude how to use Metal Claw. That might give you a chance at victory." Ginny nodded. "Metal Claw…Thanks Gary!" She ran over and gave him a quick hug. "Good luck, at your future battles!" 'Why is his face all red?' She smirked slightly. "And don't get too cocky. I'm going to beat you next time!" Gary laughed. "No way!" He paused for a moment as if working up the courage to do something. Finally, he leaned over and gave her a brief one-armed hug around her shoulders. "Later, Ginny!" He said before turning and running off. Ginny felt her face grow hot. 'Is it noon or something? Why do I suddenly feel so warm?' She shook her head. 'Oh well.' She picked up Skywing and Flamindude and started back toward the Pokemon Center. 'We've got lots of training to do!'

**I figured that Gary deserved to make a quick comeback! Are they an adorable couple or what? EonShipping forever! PS- Yes, I know that a Charmander learns Metal Claw before Flamethrower in the games but when you think about it, the anime has a bunch of stuff that isn't consistent with the games! Anyway, EonShipping and ForbiddenShipping FOREVER! (Remember, still waiting for more Lynx/Meowth suggestions.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, if I don't get any more suggestions, ForbiddenShipping will become the official name for Lynx/Meowth. Last warning, people. Anyway, in this chapter, Ginny teaches Flamindude how to use Metal Claw and challenges the Gym. But what happens when she realizes that all she succeeded in doing was strengthening his Scratch attack? Will he still have a chance?**

Ginny panted a little. The sun was hot and she was sweating, but she wasn't giving up yet. "Come on, Flamindude! Use Metal Claw on that rock! Shatter it!" Flamindude moaned before leaping once more at the rock and running his claws across the surface. Ginny winced as her Pokemon screamed in pain once more as the rocky surface remained unharmed. She shook her head. 'I was sure we had it this time…' She called out to Flamindude. "Okay, buddy. Let's take five!" Flamindude whimpered and walked over. Ginny examined his hands. "Hmm…they are looking pretty red… Do you think you can handle it?" Flamindude nodded. "Char…" Ginny nodded. "That's my boy!" She handed him an apple. "Here, this will hold you until lunch." Flamindude nodded and began to munch on the fruit. Once he was done, he went right back to slashing at the rock. "Come on, Flamindude! Harder! Harder!" Only a little more and this Gym battle would be as good as won! Just as Flamindude was starting to make an indent in the rock, a sharp voice called out to her. "Stop this at once!" The voice shouted. Ginny turned around to see Nurse Joy walking toward her. "What's wrong, Nurse Joy?" Nurse Joy put her hands on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?! This Charmander is hurting himself and you just keep making him continue! Can't you see that he's in pain?!" Ginny turned away sheepishly. "He told me he could handle it…" "Because he doesn't want to disappoint you! This is nothing short of abuse!"

Flamindude snarled a little at Nurse Joy's criticisms. 'These Nurses may be good at healing but they really tend to get on my nerves!' He turned back to the rock with new determination. 'Abuse is it? I'll show her!' He let out a shout before bringing his claws down on the rock with all of the force that he could muster. The rock sparked with the impact before shattering. He turned his head back toward Ginny who was gazing at him proudly. "Well done, Flamindude!" He smirked at Nurse Joy. "This aint abuse, sister! It's called training!" He said. He knew that his meaning carried across even though he couldn't speak human. Nurse Joy breathed a sigh of defeat. "Very well…" She muttered. "Come on, let's heal those paws of yours. If you plan on doing that again at the Gym, you should be fully healed." Flamindude smiled and followed Nurse Joy back into the Center. In there, he met up with the others. Prince turned to him. "So, how did you do?" Flamindude grinned. "I finally got the move down! We're gonna challenge Brock as soon as my paws heal over." Skywing looked at his paws with concern. "Are you sure you're going to be okay? Those paws look pretty raw…" Flamindude rolled his eyes. "You worry too much, Skywing! I'm ready!" Prince gazed at Flamindude in envy. "I wish I was battling…I haven't been in any battles since Ginny caught me!" Flamindude smiled. "Don't worry, Prince! You will!" Once the ointment did its job, Flamindude jumped up. "Let's go, everyone!"

Ginny walked into the Gym and looked around. "Hello? Brock?" She walked into the darkened Gym, followed by her five Pokemon. Flamindude, Prince, and Lightning walked beside her calmly while Skywing and Lynx looked around nervously. "What is your business here?" A strong male voice asked. Everyone jumped and Ginny looked around. There was a boy standing in the front of the Gym. He was around fifteen years old but he seemed older. He was obviously an experienced trainer… Ginny took another step forward. "I am Ginny Ketchum. I have come to challenge you!" Brock eyed her Pokemon. "I don't believe you have the Pokemon for the job. However, it is my duty to accept all challenges. Let the match begin." He snapped his fingers and the ground started to rumble. Ginny yelped as a rocky scenery started to come out of the walls. Her Pokemon quickly scattered out of the way as she bolted back toward the safety of the doorway. Once the landscape was set, Brock took his position on one end of the Gym. Brock took out a Pokeball. "This will be a one-on-one match. I don't want to hurt too many Pokemon today." Ginny smiled. "That's fine with me! Flamindude, it's time!" Flamindude nodded and stepped forward. "Go, Onix!" Brock shouted. There was a flash of light and standing before Ginny was the single biggest Pokemon she had ever seen. Her eyes grew wide. Onix was a huge snake, almost as big as the room and completely made out of rocks. He let out a roar that shook the floor beneath her and she noticed that, for the first time, Flamindude looked afraid.

Flamindude gulped as he looked up at his opponent. He had expected a Geodude or even a Graveler. This was…huge! The Onix looked down at him and growled softly. "I'll make quick work of you, little one…" He muttered. Flamindude started to tremble. "Come on, Flamindude! Size isn't everything! Remember our trump card!" 'Right…Metal Claw…' Flamindude nodded. "Okay…let's go!" He leapt forward. "Flamindude, use Flamethrower!" Flamindude took a deep breath and sent a gust of flames at Onix. 'Just to weaken him…' No surprise, the attack didn't even faze the large snake. He let out a roaring laugh. Brock called out. "Fire doesn't do a thing against rock! Onix, use Rock Throw!" Flamindude immediately began to dodge the rocks that were hurled at him. 'Don't like rocks! Don't like rocks! Don't like rocks!' He thought as he ran around frantically. "Okay, Flamindude, use Metal Claw!" Flamindude grinned and leapt at Onix. 'It's time!' He flew at Onix's face and raked his claws across the surface. He didn't know what he had expected…maybe for some rock to chip off, or for his opponent to cry in pain and surrender. He didn't anticipate the burning pain that shot through his entire body. 'What?! Why isn't it penetrating him?!' "Onix, use Dig!" At that moment, Onix shot into the ground. While Flamindude was still scratching his head and wondering what had happened, Onix shot up and threw him into the air. "Metal Claw! Metal Claw!" Ginny yelled frantically. He tried once more but only felt more pain. He howled in agony as Onix did a Bind attack on him. He could faintly hear Brock's voice call out. "There's a difference between a strong Scratch attack, and a Metal Claw!" Flamindude felt a cold dread creeping in. 'I didn't learn Metal Claw?!'

Ginny felt the same cold dread creeping into her own system. 'Oh no…' She looked up at Flamindude. "Flamindude, do you want to give up?" Despite the pain that her Charmander was feeling as Onix began to squeeze him tightly, he shook his head. Ginny was about to order him to attack again when Nurse Joy's words echoed in her head. _"He doesn't want to disappoint you! This is nothing short of abuse!" _Ginny's eyes widened. 'She's right! Flamindude doesn't want to let me down! That's why he's endured so much pain…all for me…' She looked up at Flamindude and called out to him. "Flamindude, I'm want you to return!" Flamindude let out a howl and shook his head. Ginny felt a tear come to her cheek. "Flamindude, I don't care if we win or lose! I just don't want to lose you! You mean more to me than any Gym badge! I know I've been overworking you and that's wrong! We can walk away right now! If you get hurt…I don't know what I'll do!" Flamindude gritted his teeth and shook his head again but Ginny could hear the distinct crack of something breaking. "Flamindude, please!" Onix was squeezing him so tightly by this point, he was clearly losing consciousness from lack of oxygen. "Don't do this! I love you!" Flamindude took a deep breath before howling loudly. "CHAAAAAAAR!!!!!" At that moment, he started to glow…

Flamindude shook his head desperately and yelled. "I WON'T GIVE UP!" He felt so strong despite the pain he was in. 'She'd actually forfeit the match for me! Well, she won't have to! I'll win this for her no matter what! Ginny loves me!' That last thought made him feel strongest of all. 'Ginny loves me…' He felt a warm glow in his heart. It began to slowly spread throughout his whole body. He then saw the glow move from his inside to his outside. It spread across his body until he was surrounded by white light. He was growing bigger…stronger…braver… He felt his claws grow huge and white. The fire on his tail and the fire within him nearly doubled in size. He felt a new power awakening. 'I…can…do this!' When the light faded, he looked himself over briefly. All pain was forgotten when he saw what had happened. There was no mistaking the new rich flame red color that he now possessed, nor those claws, nor the feeling he now held within. He was a Charmeleon! He looked down at his new white claws and focused all of his energy. He could feel a new power forming on the surface of his claws. They were beginning to glow as if going through their own evolution process. He turned toward Onix whose face was glaring at him. With a shout, he slashed his glowing claws across his face. Unlike last time, Onix let out a roar of utter agony. Flamindude felt the Bind loosen and he leapt out. He landed on the far side of the Gym, close to Ginny who was staring at him with a look of total shock on her face. His eyes grew misty as he turned and looked at her. "I love you too, Ginny!" He said.

Ginny gazed into Flamindude's eyes as he looked at her. He had evolved just for her! She felt tears come into her own eyes. She knew in her heart what he had said. She wiped her eyes and smiled at Flamindude with a new determination. "Let's win this!" Flamindude also wiped his eyes and nodded. "Char!' She noticed that his voice was deeper, more grown up. He turned toward his opponent who had finally recovered from his attack. Ginny called out. "Flamindude, use Metal Claw like there's no tomorrow!" Flamindude grinned and leapt at Onix. Ginny was partially aware of Prince jumping up and down beside her, yelling his encouragements. 'That Prince is a feisty one…I should battle with him soon…' She thought subconsciously as Flamindude began to slash mercilessly at Onix. Onix tried to fight back but Flamindude was specifically aiming for the face, making any real attacks impossible. Finally, when Onix was beginning to look like a scratching post, Brock shouted. "Onix, return!" In a flash of red light, the battle was won. Brock walked over to her. "Here you go. You truly earned this." Ginny reached out and took the Boulder Badge. She smiled. "Thank you, Brock!" Brock smiled. "I've never seen such love between human and Pokemon." He looked down at Flamindude. "You two have something special!" Ginny grinned. "I always knew we did!" She bent down and hugged Flamindude. She whispered so that none of her other Pokemon would hear and get jealous. "You're the best, Flamindude." Flamindude smiled and hugged her back. "Char, char." He whispered back. She knew that he was saying, "You're the best too."

**Flamindude finally evolved! YAY! *throws confetti into the air* This is one of my fav chapters so far! Did you enjoy the battle? Huh? Huh? I know you did! FLAMINDUDE RULES ALL! Stay tuned for Chapter 9! Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the delay. I've been busy. Anyway, I have decided that ForbiddenShipping is the official name for the Lynx/Meowth pairing. Congratulations, PokemonfanXxX! Anyway, here's Chapter 9. It's been a few days since the Gym battle and Ginny and her Pokemon are on their way to Cerulean City. While traveling, Ginny realizes that her brother is close by! Then, another Team Rocket attack throws Lynx out of perspective once more. Enjoy! PS- I just feel the need to add something in here… I just watched on Youtube the battle between Ash's Pikachu and Gary's Electivire. I love Diamond and Pearl (I love all the Pokemon seasons) but I have one very important question: WHAT IN THE NAME OF HECK HAPPENED TO MY GARY'S VOICE?!?!?! Seriously, if you haven't heard it, go on Youtube and type "ash gary battle" and the first thing that comes up should be it. Listen to his voice! I nearly DIED when I heard it (and not in the dying of laughter way)! *sniffles* When Ginny enters the Diamond and Pearl era in the future, please think of Gary's voice as it was in the original…it would make Ginny and Gary very happy if you do…**

Ginny sighed and sat down on a rock. "How long have we been traveling since Pewter City, guys?" Lynx held up seven fingers on her paws. Ginny moaned. "Seven days? No wonder I'm so tired!" She glanced at Flamindude and smiled. She was still getting used to seeing him as a Charmeleon after all of his years as a Charmander. He was examining his Charizard tooth necklace again. "Excited that you're one more step away from being a Charizard?" Flamindude nodded. "Char!" She leaned back against the tree behind her. "Hey, Skywing. How about you fly around and scope out the area for me?" Skywing nodded. "Pidgey!" She turned and flew off. Ginny then reached into her pack and looked at the map. 'We've still got a ways to go until we get to Cerulean City…' She glanced around and smiled as she noticed an apple tree. "Lynx, how about gathering up some apples from those high branches?" Lynx licked her lips and nodded. "Meow!" She bounded over and began tossing apples down.

Skywing looked around. 'Let's see…is there any civilization close by? Maybe some more people.' Her eyes carefully scanned the path. 'Nothing…I can't believe…' She stopped when she realized that there was someone else walking through the trees. She flew down onto a branch to take a look. 'Maybe they know the way.' Her hopes were immediately discouraged when the orange haired girl spoke. "Ash, you got us lost again!" Skywing blinked. 'Ash?' She leaned closer and listened. She saw a boy with black hair glaring angrily at the orange haired girl. 'Hey! That's Ginny's brother! I remember those photos she showed us!' With a start, she recognized Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock completing the trio. "It's not my fault, Misty! It's clearly this map!" Misty rolled her eyes. "As if! We should have stopped and asked for directions!" Ash got a snide look on his face. "Your face would have scared anyone away before we could ask." 'Ginny's brother is now a dead man.' Skywing thought as Misty's eyes became fiery and red. Skywing gasped. 'Uh oh! Not the mallet! I've seen human girls handle the mallet! It aint pretty!' She quickly flew out of her tree branch and began flapping her wings in Misty's face. "Run for it!" She called to Ash. Ash wisely hid behind Brock. Her work done, Skywing flew off to report to Ginny.

Ginny smiled and sank her teeth into an apple and watched her Pokemon do the same. "Save some for Skywing, guys." She said with her mouth full. 'I wonder if she found anything yet.' At that moment, Skywing swooped down. "Pidgey!" She started to talk but Ginny held up a hand. "Eat first, girl. We've gone for hours without food." Obediently, Skywing chomped down on the apple with her beak. When she was done, Ginny spoke. "Now, what did you see?" Skywing flapped over to her pack and reached in, pulling out a photo of Ash. Ginny's heart did a flip. "My brother is here?! Where?" Skywing pointed down the path. Ginny grinned. "Follow me quietly, everyone." Slowly, she crept into the trees. As she moved, she started to hear voices. "What was that Pidgey doing?" She heard a female voice speak. "Saving my life! That's what she was doing!" Ginny smiled as she recognized Ash's voice. Slowly, she crept up until she was right behind Ash. "Well, Ash. You're still not out of trouble." At that moment, Ginny leaped out of her hiding place and glomped (tackle-hugged) her brother. "HI ASH!" She shouted. Ash let out a yelp of surprise while Brock jumped up and the girl let out a yelp. Ash turned around and his shocked face broke into a grin. "Ginny! Hi!" He sat up and threw his arms around her. She smiled and held Ash close. She noticed the orange haired girl looking at her with a very obviously jealous expression. With a smirk, she stood up. Ash turned to Brock and the girl. "Brock, Misty, this is my sister, Ginny." At the mention of her being his sister, Ginny noticed Misty's face relax. She grinned. "I see that my little brother has found some traveling companions!" Ash glared. "We're twins, remember?" "Yeah but I'm older by ten whole minutes!" Ash stuck his tongue out at her. Ginny stuck out her tongue back.

Flamindude rushed through the bushes. "ASH!" He ran over and hugged his legs. Ash patted him on the head. "Wow! Flamindude, you look great! Brock told me about how you evolved in your Gym battle." Flamindude grinned proudly. The others then ran through the bracken. Flamindude noticed Lynx stop suddenly before hiding behind Ginny's leg. 'What's with her?' Ginny smiled. "Well, Ash. You already know Flamindude. Allow me to introduce you to Skywing, Lightning, Lynx, and Prince." She looked behind her. "Lynx, come on out." Lynx shook her head. "I'd…rather not…" Flamindude blinked curiously. He noticed Lightning bound over to Pikachu. "Hi there!" She said cheerfully. Pikachu smiled. "Hello!" Flamindude turned to Pikachu. "What did I tell you? Ash is great!" Pikachu nodded. "Yeah! Really great!" Flamindude then heard Ash speak again. "Here are my new Pokemon." He threw two Pokeballs. "This is Pigeotto and Butterfree." Pigeotto flew over to Skywing. "Hey there, short stack." He said in a good natured voice. Skywing smiled. "Hi! Am I really going to look like you when I evolve." Pigeotto nodded. "Look forward to it! It's amazing!" Butterfree flew in a circle before fluttering on top of Ash's head. "Hi everyone! Nice to meet you!" Lynx cowered even more.

Misty watched Ginny with interest. 'She seems nice.' Ginny then glanced at Misty and started to laugh a little. Misty glared. "What's so funny?" Ginny grinned. "Well, I was going to gloat over the fact that I caught more Pokemon than my brother but it seems that we're pretty even!" Misty blinked. "What do you mean?" "Well, I may have more Pokemon but Ash has two new Pokemon and a girlfriend!" She started to laugh again. Both Misty and Ash turned bright red and shouted at the same time. "YOU ARE INSANE!" At that moment, something slimy touched Misty's leg. "YIPE!" She jumped up and hid behind Ash. "A Bug Pokemon!" Ginny got a funny look on her face. "What's the matter? Scared of a little…" She put on a bird costume. "TWEETLE?" **(For those of you who don't know, in episode 4 of the series, Ash made a joke when Misty expressed her fear of a Bug Pokemon that she saw by putting on a cow costume and saying that it could be a "Cowterpie".)** Everyone except Ash and Ginny did an anime fall and groaned loudly. Ash and Ginny, on the other hand, burst out laughing. Misty moaned. "I'm beginning to see the family resemblance…"

At that moment, everyone was thrown to the ground by a large blast. Obnoxious laughing could be heard. Ash groaned. "Oh no! It's Team Rocket!" Ginny blinked. "Team Rocket?" The dust cleared and Ginny let out a gasp. "That Meowth! He was one of those Pokemon thieves!" Flamindude let out a snarl, probably remembering that scratch Meowth had given him before. "Prepare for trouble." Said a female voice. "Make it double." Said a male voice. "To protect the world from devastation…" "To unite all people within our nation…" "To denounce the evil of truth and love…" "To extend our reach to the stars above." "Jessie." "James." "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light." "Surrender now or prepare to fight!" "Meowth, that's right!" "Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted angrily. Ash turned to Ginny. "Team Rocket has been following us around trying to steal Pikachu." Ginny gasped. "That's horrible!" Jessie stepped forward. "You know what we're here for, twerps!" Ginny glared. "You're not getting any Pokemon today! Go, everyone!" All of her Pokemon except Lynx jumped forward. "Lynx, get over there!" Lynx shook her head. "Meow!" Ginny blinked in surprise. "Lynx, go and help!" Lynx shook her head again and bounded up a nearby tree. 'What's with her?' She shook her head and turned back around as Jessie and James sent out Ekans, Koffing, and a Victreebel. Meowth also ran forward. Ginny turned to Ash as he stepped forward. "I got this. Flamindude, use Flamethrower on Meowth! Skywing, use Wing Attack on Ekans! Lightning, use Thunderbolt on Koffing! Prince, use Poison Sting on Victreebel!" The attacks hit full force and sent everyone sprawling on the ground. Ash walked over. "Let me finish this. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu took a deep breath. "PIKACHUUUUUUU!!!!" The attack was so powerful that it sent Team Rocket flying. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" They shouted as they disappeared.

Lynx stayed up in her perch and watched Ginny come underneath the tree. "Lynx, what is the matter with you?! Why did you turn away like that? We're lucky that we had this covered! Who knows what could have happened if they were stronger!" Lynx bowed her head in shame. 'I'm a terrible Pokemon.' She thought mournfully to herself. 'I try to not betray Ginny and end up betraying Meowth. Now I try to not betray Meowth but I betray Ginny instead.' She turned away so that Ginny couldn't see her face. She heard Ginny sigh in exasperation and walk away. She closed her eyes and fell asleep. When she woke up later on, she realized that it was night time. She heard a rustling in the bushes. "Psst!" A voice called. She immediately recognized who it was. "Meowth?" Meowth peeked his head out of the bushes. "Come on! Since you're with the twerps, we can see each other now more often!" Lynx gazed longingly at him but didn't move. 'I can't…not again…' She sighed. "I'm sorry, Meowth. Not tonight." Meowth looked visibly saddened as he walked away again. Lynx sighed and leapt out of her branch. She padded over to where Ginny was sleeping. "Ginny…" She muttered. She reached forward with her paw and pulled Ginny's blankets up around her shoulders. 'I'm no good for you. All I do is cause you trouble.' She thought back to the time when she was poisoned and then to when she ran away to see Meowth and then to earlier on when she had refused to fight. 'This is the last time that I will. This will hurt you for awhile but maybe you'll learn to move on without me.' She licked her trainer's hand. "Goodbye." She turned and bounded into the darkness.

**Did you like it? Check this out! I'm gonna add in a trainer card after each time Ginny wins a Gym battle. Just remember to picture Ginny as she is in the story (with the red tee, blue jeans, green eyes, and necklace) I also wanna apologize about the delay. I'll try to bring Chapter 10 out faster.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the delay. School started and Sophomore year is TOTAL HECK! Don't think that I'm gonna stop typing indefinitely though. I'm gonna keep going with this! Also, nix what I said about the Trainer Card. Apparently this site doesn't let pictures go into the documents… Anyway, enjoy! PS- I've gotten multiple complaints about having paragraphs too big so I decided to redo my format. Hope this will make my stories an easier read for ya'll.**

Ash woke up the next morning to a scream. He jumped up. "What is it?!" He turned to see Ginny looking around frantically.

"Are you sure, Flamindude?!" Flamindude nodded. "What about you, Skywing? Did you see her?!" Skywing shook her head.

"Pidgey…" Ash ran over.

"What's wrong, Ginny?!" Ginny turned toward her brother.

"Lynx ran away! Normally I wouldn't worry but I specifically told her that she can't go out at night for awhile. Even if she had gone out, she'd be back by now!" She bowed her head. "It's probably because I yelled at her…" She murmured. Misty walked over and put a hand on Ginny's shoulder.

"We'll find her, don't worry! If you're anything like Ash, Lynx will come back to you in no time!" Ash blinked and blushed a little.

'What does she mean by that?' He turned to Brock. "Where should we look first?" Brock looked around.

"I suggest we split up. Ash nodded.

"Okay. I'll go with Ginny." As they began walking Ash asked Ginny: "How did you first meet Lynx?"

Ginny smiled and thought back to that fateful day. "I found her…after leaving Viridian City…"

FLASHBACK

Ginny smiled at her Pokemon. "You guys were amazing back there! Judging by how well you did at the Center, we can beat anyone we go up against!"

"MEOW!" She froze.

"What was that?" Lightning sniffed the air.

"Pika!" Ginny turned to Skywing.

"Skywing, fly ahead and see what's up. We'll follow!" Skywing nodded and flew off. Ginny started running after her. "It sounds like a Pokemon in trouble." She muttered. "I hope we aren't too late…" As she ran, a peculiar sight came into view. There was a Meowth dangling from a rope in a tree. Below her was a gang of three Machop. Skywing was already flapping her wings at the three Fighting Pokemon, trying to beat them back. Ginny pulled out Dexie.

"Machop, the Superpower Pokemon. While the size of a child, Machop can hurl 100 adults." Ginny grinned.

"Three on three! Sounds like a fair match to me!" She turned to Lightning and Flamindude. "Go for it!" They nodded and leapt forward. She vaguely noticed another Meowth up in the tree cutting up the ropes. As the Machop ran off, the two Meowths leapt down from the tree. One of them quickly ran off on two legs. 'He looks like…no…he can't be…' She then turned to the other Meowth who looked meekly up at her. "Hi there."

"Meow…" She knelt in front of the small Pokemon.

"That was a close one. Are you okay?" The Meowth nodded. Ginny smiled. "Be more careful, okay?" She stood up and started to walk away when she felt a small tug at her pant leg. She turned back and saw the Meowth looking up at her. "Do you want to come with me, Meowth?" Meowth nodded. Ginny smiled. "Well, in that case, you're gonna need a name. How about Lynx?" Lynx jumped up into the air with an excited yelp.

"Meow!" Ginny opened up her arms and Lynx leapt in.

"Welcome to the team, Lynx." Flamindude, Skywing, and Lightning all smiled.

END FLASHBACK

Ash nodded slowly. "And who do you think that other Meowth was?" Ginny shrugged.

"I dunno. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that it's that Meowth that is with Team Rocket." Ash snorted.

"Yeah right!" Ginny laughed a little.

"Yeah…it's probably my imagination." She turned back to Ash. "So what's the story with Misty?" Ash blushed, remembering what Ginny had implied before about Misty being his girlfriend.

"Well, Pikachu destroyed her bike by mistake and she's following me around until I replace it." Ginny let out a snort of disbelief.

"Yeah right!" Ash turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Ginny just shook her head.

"Honestly, Ash…despite being raised by our mom and stuck with me all the time, you know nothing about girls."

"What do you-" He was cut off by a loud cry.

"MEOW!" Ginny gasped.

"That's Lynx! I'd know that cry anywhere!" She started to run. "I'm coming, Lynx! Skywing, fly ahead!" Skywing nodded.

"Pidgey!" Skywing flew off.

_Skywing looked around. "Lynx! Hold on! We're coming!" She heard an answering cry._

"_Skywing! Don't come any closer! This Pokemon is too strong!" Skywing kept flying._

"_Nonsense! We can-" She was cut off as one of the biggest, meanest Pokemon she had ever seen came into view. While smaller than Brock's Onix, he was definitely more dangerous. 'I'm getting dejavu…' She thought to herself as she stared at the Machoke that had cornered Lynx. Skywing took a deep breath before yelling at the Machoke. "Let her go! Why are you bullying her like this?" The Machoke turned on her._

"_She was wandering on my turf! Anyone who comes here without my say so gets it!" Skywing glared._

"_Let her go or I'll make you!" Machoke laughed._

"_What can a puny little Pidgey do?" He chortled. At that moment, Ash, Ginny, and the other Pokemon appeared. Flamindude snarled._

"_You were saying?" Machoke laughed again._

"_I can beat you midgets with my eyes closed!" He did a Focus Punch which sent Skywing sprawling. Prince immediately leapt forward._

"_Take this!" He shot a Poison Sting at Machoke but it didn't even effect him. "Oh! Tough guy eh?" He shot at him with a Horn Attack. Machoke merely grabbed his horn and threw him to the side._

"_My turn!" Flamindude growled as he shot a Flamethrower at Machoke. Machoke laughed and ran right through the flames to land a powerful Tackle. Ginny groaned._

"_It's no use! His level is too high!" Ash turned to her._

"_Why don't we try hitting him with a double Thunder Bolt? You use Lightning and I'll use Pikachu." Pikachu nodded and turned to Lightning._

"_Let's do it!" Lightning nodded._

"_Yeah!" They both took a deep breath._

"PI…" Ginny braced herself. "KA…" Ash gritted his teeth. "CHUUUUUUUU!!!!!" The attack hit Machoke right on. Machoke howled in pain. The two Pikachu collapsed from exhaustion. Ginny smiled.

"Good job, Lightning!" Ash bent down and stroked Pikachu's ears.

"You too, Pikachu!" Ginny started to walk toward Lynx when she heard a chewing sound.

"He ate an Oran Berry!" She gasped and jumped back just in time to dodge a kick from the revived Machoke. "Lightning and Pikachu can't do that again! What now?!" Lynx stood up and leapt at Machoke, trying to do a Fury Swipes attack. Machoke merely did another Focus Punch and threw her back into a tree. Lynx screamed in pain. Machoke cracked his knuckles and started toward Ginny and Ash. At that moment, and explosion threw him back.

"Prepare for trouble, your bullying is done." Said a familiar voice.

"And make it double, it's our turn to have fun!" Said the other voice.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evil of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie…"

"James…"

"Team Rocket saves lovers at the speed of light."

"Surrender now, or you're in for a fight!"

"Meowth, you got that right!" Meowth shouted as he leapt at Machoke. "You picked the wrong girl to beat up, buddy! You mess with my girl, you mess with me!" James nodded.

"And when you mess with Meowth, you mess with all of Team Rocket! Go, Koffing!" Koffing was sent out in a beam of light. Jessie held her own Pokeball.

"That goes double! Go, Ekans!" Ekans appeared with a murderous hiss.

"Meow!" Lynx jumped up and ran over beside Meowth and the others. Meowth smiled.

"Good to see you, Lynx! Let's get him!" Lynx nodded. Machoke took out Ekans and Koffing with ease. Only Lynx and Meowth were left. "Let's Fury Swipe him!" Lynx nodded and the two Scratch Cat Pokemon flew at Machoke and covered him with scratches. Still he stayed upright. "It's not working!" At that moment, Machoke picked up Meowth by the neck and dangled him in the air.

"MEOW!" Lynx let out a howl. She stood up on her hind legs and crossed her arms in front of her. She closed her eyes and the charm on her head began to glow. Then, a flurry of white orbs shot out and overwhelmed Machoke.

"She's using Pay Day!" Ginny gasped. "I thought that Meowths couldn't learn that until much later!" Ash stared.

"I guess when they have the right motivation…a Pokemon can do anything!" Ginny nodded slowly.

"Yeah…" She muttered as Machoke fled. "Right motivation…" Lynx ran over to check if Meowth was okay before bounding into Ginny's arms.

"Meow!" Ginny stroked her soft ears and turned to Team Rocket.

"Thank you…" Meowth shrugged.

"It was nothing." Ginny took a step closer.

"It was you, wasn't it? You were the one who freed Lynx from those Machop." Meowth nodded.

"Yeah. That was me." Ginny looked at Lynx.

"You two really love each other…don't you?" Lynx and Meowth nodded without a word. Ginny closed her eyes for a moment and felt a pang of sadness in her heart. "A Pokemon Trainer does what is best for her Pokemon. That must always come first." She pulled Lynx's Pokeball out of her belt and put Lynx down. Lynx looked up curiously at her. Ginny knelt down. "Lynx, I want you to go with Team Rocket and be with Meowth." Ash took a step forward.

"Ginny, are you sure?" Ginny nodded as she looked up at Jessie and James.

"Despite being thieves, I know that you have good hearts and will take good care of her." She held her Pokeball out to Jessie. "This won't do you any good though. She prefers to remain outside." Jessie nodded her head as she took the Pokeball. Lynx pawed at Ginny's leg. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Meow…" Ginny bent down and hugged Lynx.

"I'll miss you, Lynx. Grow big and strong and never forget me." Lynx threw her arms around Ginny's neck and started to cry on her shoulder. Ginny found herself crying as well. Finally, when the two broke apart, a blue glow surrounded Lynx briefly, signaling her release. Ginny kissed Lynx on the head. "Goodbye."

_Lynx sniffed. "Bye, Ginny. I love you…" She turned to Flamindude, Skywing, Lightning, and Prince. "Bye guys." Flamindude put a paw on her shoulder._

"_Good luck, Lynx. Keep those humans in line. It was fun knowing you." Skywing fluttered close._

"_Don't let their influence make you a complete weirdo. Keep some of your old naivety." Lynx nodded as Lightning gazed at her._

"_Seeing you on two legs is like seeing you in a whole new way. You will most certainly grow very strong. I hope that you and Meowth are happy together." Prince looked sadly at her._

"_No hard feelings about the poison, right?" Lynx nodded. Prince smiled. "Keep your head high and never give up. Farewell." Ginny bent down and pulled a yellow bandana out of her pack. She tied it loosely around Lynx's neck._

"_Here's something to remember me by. I love you, Lynx. I hope you find all that you're looking for." Lynx sniffed and did another tiny Pay Day attack, creating a single coin. Ginny picked up the coin and pocketed it. "I'll keep it forever." She stood up. "You'd better get going." Lynx nodded and jumped into Jessie's arms._

"You know…" Said Meowth. "You're alright, for a human." Ginny smiled.

"You're alright for a thief. Take good care of her." Meowth nodded.

"I will! If you hang around the twerps, you'll probably see us again." Lynx called out from Jessie's arms.

"Meow! Meow, meow!" Jessie turned to Meowth.

"What did she say?" Meowth turned to Jessie.

"She says that she wants to be your Pokemon but she won't fight the twerps. She'll do anything else but she won't fight the twerps." Jessie sighed.

"That's fair…" She turned to Ginny. "Bye, twerpette!" Team Rocket got into the balloon and flew off. Lynx peered over the edge and called out to Ginny.

"MEOW!" Ginny waved her hand.

"Bye Lynx!" She watched the balloon as it disappeared from view. She felt tears welling up in her eyes again. Ash walked over.

"Need a hug?" Ginny threw her arms around her brother and allowed her tears to flow. It was a long time before the siblings broke apart.

**I hope the length made up for the delay. Here's a tissue for ya'll. You know it had to happen. Every significant Trainer releases at least one Pokemon during his or her lifetime. This is a similarity between Ginny and Ash. Both times they released a Pokemon for the first time, it was for love. (Lynx and Butterfree) Just some food for thought. Bye! I gotta work on my Chapter Gwevin story! I'll update soon!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, here's the deal: I promised myself that I wouldn't make any new stories until I updated each of my Chapter stories! This is first on my list. Now, in our last installment, Ginny released Lynx. She will be parting ways with Ash soon but I think a battle is in order. Don't you agree?**

Misty walked over to Ginny who was sitting with her back against a tree. "Hey. Are you alright?" Ginny nodded slowly.

"Yeah…I'll be okay." Misty sat down next to her.

"That was a very neat thing you did. Not many people have the guts to let their Pokemon go." Ginny smiled a little.

"Thank you. I know it was the right thing. I'll just miss her a lot…" Misty nodded, understanding. Ginny turned toward her.

"So, what's the story with you and Ash?" She asked.

"Pikachu destroyed my bike and I'm going to stay with Ash until he replaces it." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Okay, what's the REAL story with you and Ash?" Misty blushed.

"What do you mean?" Ginny gave her a look.

"You like him, don't you? I mean you LIKE him, right?" She grinned. Misty huffed.

"Like HIM?! No way!" Ginny laughed.

"Keep telling yourself that!" Ash ran over.

"Hey, Ginny! I was wondering if we could have a battle." Misty turned to Ash.

"Ash, your sister just lost one of her Pokemon! I don't think this is the time for-" Ginny jumped up and nodded vigorously.

"Yeah! Let's battle!" Misty did an anime sweatdrop.

"Seeing more and more of that family resemblance…" She murmured as Ash pulled out a Pokeball.

"Go, Butterfree!" He shouted. Ginny stood up and turned to her Nidoran.

"Ready for your first battle, Prince?" Prince jumped up in excitement.

"Nido!" He bounded forward and glared at Butterfree.

"Prince, use Poison Sting!" Prince shot a stream of stingers at Butterfree.

"Butterfree, use Stun Spore!" Butterfree dusted Prince with a film of golden powder. Prince let out a cry and fell to the ground, paralyzed. "Now use Tackle!" Butterfree swooped down and slammed into Prince, throwing him into a tree.

"Come on, Prince! Use Horn Attack!" Prince groaned and tried to stand. "Use Focus Energy!" Prince was briefly surrounded by a light blue aura and managed to stand up. "Now use Horn Attack!" Prince leapt into the air and jabbed Butterfree with his horn.

"Butterfree, use String Shot!" Butterfree shot out a flurry of sticky threads which wrapped around Prince.

"Break the strings with Poison Sting!" A swarm of stingers shot out, severing the ropes and hitting Butterfree, who yelped in pain. "Now finish him off with Peck!" Prince brought Butterfree to the ground where he lay still.

"Butterfree is unable to battle, Nidoran wins!" Brock declared.

"Butterfree, return." Ash brought Butterfree back into his Pokeball. "Go, Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto flew out of his Pokeball with a cry. "Pidgeotto, use Gust!" Pidgeotto flapped his large wings and sent a tornado of dust at Prince who started coughing. "Now finish him off with Quick Attack!" Pidgeotto flew through the dust with blinding speed and threw Prince to the ground.

"Nidoran is unable to battle. Pidgeotto wins!" Ginny ran over and picked up Prince.

"You did great, Prince." She carried him over to a soft patch of grass where a worried Lightning began tending to him. Ginny turned to Skywing. "You're up!" Skywing nodded and flew into the air, facing her evolved form in battle. "Use Gust!" Skywing started to whip up a tornado though it was noticeably smaller than Pigeotto's.

"Skywing is at a disadvantage. Pidgeotto is simply stronger than her in size and ability." Brock commented to Misty.

"Blow it away with your wings, Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto flapped his wings, sending the column of dust back at Skywing who was immediately blinded by her own attack. "Now finish her off with Whirlwind!" Pidgeotto followed up with another bigger tornado which easily overwhelmed the small Pidgey. Skywing fell to the ground and was still.

"Pidgey is unable to battle! Pidgeotto wins!" Ginny carried Skywing over to where Lightning was licking Prince's wounds.

"Good girl, Skywing. We'll get better." She turned to Flamindude. "You're up!" Flamindude jumped up.

"Char, char!" He rushed onto the battlefield, glaring at Pidgeotto.

"Flamindude, use Ember!"

"Pidgeotto, use Gust!" Flamindude sent out a steady beam of embers as a large tornado of dust was kicked up yet again. The embers went into the tornado, adding small slivers of heat to the midst.

"Flamindude, go into the Gust!" Flamindude nodded and ran into the twister.

"Sending her Pokemon into that attack is really risky…" Brock muttered. "What could she be planning?"

"Pidgeotto, fly into that Gust and finish him off!" Pidgeotto flew into the fray.

"Now, Flamindude! Flamethrower!" At that moment, the twister became completely made of fire. "Smokescreen!" Smoke began to fill the area around the tornado, cutting off visibility completely. Flamindude leapt out of the fire, slightly charred but still strong. When the dust, smoke, and fire finally cleared, Pidgeotto was on the ground.

"Pidgeotto is unable to battle! Charmeleon wins!" Brock smiled in admiration. "Her battling style clearly centers on Flamindude. She uses him as her trump card and puts most of her kudos on him. Risky but effective." He muttered.

"Okay, Pikachu! Let's finish this!" Pikachu, static crackling from his cheeks, bounded onto the battlefield. "Use Thunder Shock!" Pikachu took a deep breath.

"_Here goes!" Pikachu sent his attack flying toward Flamindude, who crossed his arms and endured it._

"_Flamindude, use Metal Claw!" Flamindude ran toward Pikachu._

"_Take this!" His large white claws started to glow and he slashed them across Pikachu's face. Pikachu let out a howl of pain before shaking his head and glaring._

"_Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu sent his signature attack at Flamindude._

"_Flamindude, use Flamethrower!" Flamindude countered the lightning bolt with a blast of fire. Pikachu's bolt cut through the fire and hit Flamindude full force. The fire blazed by on both of Pikachu's sides, slightly burning him. Flamindude groaned._

'_I can't go down yet!'_

"_Flamindude, use Smokescreen!" Flamindude took a deep breath and filled the entire battlefield with smoke._

Brock tilted his head. 'She seems to be using a strategy involving cutting off visibility and then taking down the opponent while he or she is blinded.'

"Now use Flamethrower!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

At the same time, the battlefield was filled with fire and lightning struck the center. A blinding light flashed everywhere. Everyone closed their eyes. When they opened them, everything was clearing.

'Come on…' Ash thought.

Ginny stared intently at the clearing dust, waiting to see Flamindude standing. Finally, when visibility was regained, both Pikachu and Flamindude were unconscious.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! This match is a draw!" Ginny and Ash both blinked.

"A draw?!" They both gasped at the same time. Ash ran over and picked up Pikachu while Ginny picked up Flamindude. Ginny smiled.

"I suppose we're currently equal in skills." Ash nodded.

"I guess so."

"Pi! Pikachu!" Ginny looked down to see Lightning looking up expectantly at her and grinned.

"Oh, Lightning wants you to put Pikachu with her." Ash tilted his head.

"Why?" Ginny laughed.

"She likes looking after other Pokemon. It's just a thing with her." Ash smiled and placed Pikachu in the soft grass with Ginny's Pokemon where Lightning immediately began licking his burns.

"Pika…" Pikachu muttered, grudgingly allowing her to tend to his wounds. Ash turned to Ginny.

"You won't be so lucky next time. Next time, I'll beat you!" Ginny shook her head.

"I don't think so! I'm going to end up on top!" Ash snorted.

"Against a future Pokemon Master? Yeah right!" Misty stepped between the two.

"No use arguing about it! Battle it out later on when you're both stronger!" Ash shrugged.

"Okay but I'll win."

"No you won't!" Misty groaned.

"Why do I even bother?" She walked away and left Ash and Ginny to their bickering.

**I'd like to quickly point out something that bugs me about Pokemon. They ALWAYS refer to them as "it". It's not like saying "he" or "she" is harder! So why do they say "it" even when it is painfully obvious on what the gender is?! Sorry, had to get that rant out of my system. But seriously, it would solve many Pokemon gender debates and confirm that Pikachu IS a boy! Anyway, next fanfic on my list is my Severus Snape story because that chapter is LONG overdue! See ya'll soon!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Whoa! Haven't updated in awhile on this one! Sorry guys! Writers block, school, and other works have kept me from Ginny… Okay, in this chapter, Ginny has parted ways with Ash and his group and heads for a small town to rest her Pokemon. She quickly finds that the town is a disguise, hiding a Team Rocket operation when all but one of her Pokemon are taken. Will Ginny and Skywing be able to pull of a rescue against a whole division of Rocket members?**

"Come on guys!" Ginny panted, carrying Prince and Skywing in her arms. Lightning was helping Flamindude walk along the path. "The map says that there is a town nearby."

"_Wouldn't it just be easier for her to put us in our Pokeballs?" Skywing groaned as she was shifted to yet another position in Ginny's arms, carefully avoiding Prince's barbs. Flamindude looked up at her and shook his head firmly._

"_No. We need this in order to get stronger. Plus, being in a Pokeball is too confining. Ginny will be subjected to all the elements as should we." Skywing sighed in a resigned fashion._

"_Being confined is a pretty tempting option right now…" _

"_Oh, quit your whining. It won't do us any good." Prince growled grumpily. "You wouldn't be so beat up if you had battled better."_

"_That's not fair! Pidgeotto is my evolved form! How can I measure up to that?"_

"_Excuses, excuses! You should learn to win no matter what the odds are!" Prince snapped._

"_Stop acting so high and mighty, Prince!" Lightning called up. "You lost to that same Pidgeotto!"_

"_Hey! I was injured at that time and had already beaten Butterfree! Skywing was fresh but was taken out in one shot!" He nestled his head in Ginny's arm and closed his eyes. "At least I put up a fight…"_

_Flamindude noticed Skywing's resignation. "Don't worry, Skywing. Prince is just grouchy right now. You know he doesn't mean it."_

"_He's right, though! I've lost every battle I was a part of."_

"_Not all! You beat Ekans and those Machop, didn't you?"_

"_I had help though. I never won a one-on-one battle all by myself."_

"_You will. Give it time."_

Ginny smiled as she caught sight of some houses. "Here we are, guys!" She started to run. "There isn't any info here on this town. I guess it was deserted until recently." She ran down the path. "I hope they have a Pokemon Center…" She didn't even notice the two people staring at her from a dark alleyway.

* * *

"Nice looking Pokemon…" One shady figure muttered from the alley. The one next to him nodded.

"Yeah…and they're weakened. Perfect targets. That Charmeleon looks especially good."

"That Pikachu seems tough as well, though she's at full health. We'll have to be careful."

"I like the looks of that Nidoran. Even if the Boss doesn't want him, I could use him!"

"What about the Pidgey?"

"Nah! No use wasting our time with weaklings! We want _good_ Pokemon. Let the kid have her little feather duster." The two nodded and went to get everyone ready.

* * *

"This house looks pretty big. Maybe I can ask for help here." Ginny knocked on the door. "Hello? Is anyone in there?" The door opened to reveal a tall woman with red hair.

"Why, hello there. A young Trainer, I presume?" Ginny nodded.

"Yes, miss. I was wondering if there is somewhere I can rest my Pokemon?" The lady opened up the door and beckoned for her to come inside.

"Right here, as a matter of fact. Come on in. Please make yourself comfortable." Ginny eagerly walked in.

"Thank you!" As she walked in, she noticed an Arbok curled up on a rug. "Nice looking Arbok." She commented, holding Skywing a little closer as she remembered the unfriendliness that existed between the snake and bird Pokemon. Arbok looked up from his bed and hissed softly, glaring steadily at Ginny. His eyes fell on Skywing.

"_Mmmm…I didn't know we were having bird for dinner…" Arbok murmured softly, though making sure the little Pidgey heard him. The Pidgey let out a whimper and hid in the human's arms. The injured Charmeleon with the tooth dangling from his neck let out a snarl._

"_Watch it, Arbok!" Arbok merely chuckled and closed his eyes again. _

"_See you at supper, little Pidgey…" He hissed as he fell asleep once more._

Ginny noticed Skywing's obvious discomfort. "Come on, girl. Let's get you rested up." She carried Prince and Skywing over to one of the sofas and placed them down on the soft cushions. She then turned and picked up Flamindude and put him next to her two other Pokemon. Lightning, freed of her burden of supporting Flamindude, leaped up onto Ginny's shoulder.

"Pika!"

"Don't worry. I have some of the best medicine in the area. Your Pokemon will be healed in no time." The lady said with a smile.

* * *

Ginny opened her eyes later on to the sound of muffled struggling. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she walked toward the door and grabbed the handle. It didn't move. She blinked a few times. 'Huh…?' She began to jiggle the knob, feeling panic welling up.

"CHAR!"

"BOK! CHARBOK!"

"PIKA!"

"PIDGEY!"

"NIDO!"

All sleepy thoughts fell away in a heartbeat. "GUYS!" She began throwing herself against the door desperately. 'No good...it must be blocked from the other side!' The sounds of struggling stopped. "Guys?" She whispered shakily.

* * *

_Skywing opened her eyes slowly. Arbok was gone, along with everyone else. "Ouch!" She gasped as she stood up, feeling the pain from the snake Pokemon's bites. 'There was an R on their uniforms. They must be members of that Team Rocket organization. They didn't look like the ones we left Lynx with...' Shaking her head to clear it, she tried to evaluate the situation. 'Why didn't they take me?' She narrowed her eyes. 'That's not important now! I need to save everyone! Ginny!' She whipped her head toward Ginny's room. 'They barred the door! Why those little...' With a shriek of defiance, she sent a powerful Wing Attack at the door, effectively knocking it down._

Ginny jumped back just in time to avoid the shower of splintered wood that came from the door. She heard a familiar cry. "Skywing!" She called out to her Pokemon who flew into her arms right away. "Did they hurt you, girl? Look at you! You're covered in bites! Did that Arbok do this to you?" Skywing nodded and closed her eyes. "Well, no matter. We'll have to heal you later. Where did they take the others?" Skywing pointed her wing toward the doorway. "Alright. Get on my shoulder, Skywing! It's time to clean house!"

_Skywing trembled as they stepped outside. 'That Arbok could be anywhere...' She could almost see those sinister, hungry eyes glaring at her, waiting for the chance to strike. She was scared. "I can't do this!" She jumped off of Ginny's shoulder and ran behind a bush. 'I can't, I can't, I can't...'_

Ginny turned and ran over to where Skywing was cowering. "Skywing! Now isn't the time for hesitation! Who knows what's happening to the others right now?" Skywing trembled and turned away. "Skywing, you have to be brave!" Skywing shook her head. "What happened to the Skywing I met on the way to Viridian City? Remember, the one who stood up to a Fearow? What about the Skywing who fought that Ekans in the Pokemon Center? Are you just going to give up now when you've come so far?"

_'She's forgetting the Skywing who lost to Gary's Nidoran, the Skywing who lost to Ash's Pidgeotto, and the Skywing who never won a fight on her own. I'd only slow her down. She'd have a better chance by herself.'_

Ginny sighed in regret when she realized that Skywing wasn't going to move. "Fine. I'll get them back myself." Before she could say something hurtful, she turned away and walked purposefully toward the large storage house. 'The lights are on. I'll check there first.

* * *

_Flamindude threw himself against the sides of the metal box he was being kept in. 'Come on! Come on!' He had tried every move from Flamethrower to Metal Claw but to no avail. "Can you guys hear me?" He called out._

"_Hey, Flamindude! How's the weather over there?" Prince joked grimly as he scratched halfheartedly at his own boxed prison._

"_Very funny, Prince! This is serious! These boxes are completely resistant to all of our attacks!" Lightning shouted, leaning her head against the cold steel. "Where's Skywing?"_

"_They didn't take her. I heard them saying that she was too weak to be an asset." Prince replied, laying down. "At least her weakness payed off for once."_

"_Don't talk like that, Prince!" Flamindude snapped. "She is not weak! She is just scared. Mark my words, they'll regret not capturing her when she comes to break us out!"_

"_Yeah...I'll be sleeping until that miracle occurs." Prince growled, closing his eyes._

_'He is so hard headed...' Lightning shook her head sadly. 'Ginny, Skywing, please help us!'_

* * *

Ginny paused for a split second before throwing open the door to the storage house. "Where are my Pokemon?" She demanded as she stepped in. To her horror, there was a whole gang of at least twenty people in black suits with the letter R on them. 'Team Rocket...and not the good ones!'

"Well, well, well." Ginny recognized the woman who had supposedly agreed to take care of her Pokemon. "Looks like you broke out of your room. What a pity. I really didn't want to have to hurt you."

At that moment, Ginny felt something wrapping tightly around her. Arbok had come up behind her and was using a Bind attack on her! She scrunched her eyes shut and suppressed a yelp of pain. 'So this was what Flamindude felt like when Onix had him in a Bind...' "HELP!"

* * *

_Skywing looked up abruptly at Ginny's cry. 'Ginny!' She started toward the storage house before stopping in her tracks. 'What good will I do? Arbok destroyed me and there are bound to be more than one opponent in there.' Another scream from Ginny shook her out of her worries. 'I don't care! I'm no good just sitting here!' "Hang on, Ginny! I'm coming!" She shouted, flying into the air and making a beeline toward the storage house._

* * *

Ginny strained against the ropes that bound her wrists. "Let me go!" She demanded, even though she knew that it was futile to even try to convince them.

"PIDGEY!" Skywing burst through the window with a cry of anger. Before the Rocket members could even react, she swooped down and snapped the rope in her beak.

"Skywing! You came!" Ginny gave her Pokemon a brief hug before standing up and facing the Rocket gang. "You've messed with the wrong Trainer! Skywing, use Whirlwind!" She watched as winds began to throw everything in the storage house all over the place. She noticed three metal crates. "Go for the crates, Skywing!"

"Oh no you don't! Arbok, use Poison Sting!"

"CHARBOK!" Arbok sent a flurry of needles flying at Skywing.

_'Not this time!' Skywing banked to the left and avoided the attack. "Nice try!" She called out mockingly. "I'm much faster when my opponent isn't sneaking up on me!"_

"Let's get rid of this pest quickly! Go, Raticate! Hyper Fang!"

"Caterpie, use String Shot!"

_Skywing drew back for a moment. Three opponents at once? 'No time to question the fairness! Gotta move fast!" She quickly cut through the String Shot with a Wing Attack which also took the Caterpie out. She let out a cry as she fell to the ground. Raticate was sinking his fangs into her right wing! She couldn't fly!_

"_Say goodnight." Arbok opened his jaws wide and shot forward toward his helpless prey._

"_SKYWING!"_

**Dun, dun, DUN! What will befall Skywing? Will Ginny rescue her other Pokemon? Stay tuned for the next exciting installment of Ginny Ketchum- A Fiery Legend!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Wassup ya'll? I know that my readers are dying to know what happens to Skywing and Ginny, right? I know I'm right! I just read something online that struck me as odd. It turns out that Pidgey can't learn Peck! How weird is that?! I know I had Skywing use Peck but, in my defense, the anime doesn't exactly keep in context with the game so I figured I didn't have to either! ^_^ Okay, we left off with Skywing seemingly down and out. Arbok was going in for the kill! Are you all on the edge of your seats? Good!**

"_Say goodnight!" Arbok opened his jaws wide and shot forward toward his helpless prey._

"_SKYWING!"_

_Skywing couldn't move! She felt Arbok's jaws sinking into her soft feathers. His fangs were piercing her skin. It was over! Then, she heard Ginny's cries, her friends' struggles. 'They're counting on me!' She realized. 'If I go down, that's it!' Her eyes narrowed. 'No!' "Don't count me out yet, Arbok!" With a shriek of rage, she opened up her wings and whipped up the sawdust that was scattered around the room. 'No sand for a Sand-Attack! I'll have to improvise...'_

Ginny's eyes widened as she watched the beginning of Skywing's attack. 'There's no sand or dirt! Just dust!' Then, she noticed the other Pokemon and Rocket members covering their eyes and coughing. Quickly, just as the dust reached her, Ginny pulled her hat over her face. The Rocket members who had been trying to hold her down backed off as sawdust and bits of wood flew into their eyes. 'Now's my chance!' She darted toward the crates and began to look for a crowbar, while keeping a hand on her hat, which was threatening to fly away. "Don't worry, guys! Skywing and I are gonna get you out!"

"Char!" Flamindude shouted happily!

"Nido!" Prince sounded slightly surprised.

"Pika!" Lightning could be heard jumping up and down in her crate.

The dust was going around and around in a huge whirlwind! Ginny had never seen such a powerful Sand-Attack! 'No...not Sand-Attack...Dust-Attack!' Smiling at the newly discovered attack, she felt her fingers close around something long and hard. With a sinking feeling, she realized that it was Arbok's tail. 'Of course...' She thought angrily. 'Why would I expect any different?!' Arbok turned on her, his eyes scrunched shut and his nose tightened, but his ears sharp. Blindly, he dived down at her and she barely dodged.

_Skywing noticed Raticate coming at her from the side, his eyes closed. With a squawk of fury, she sent an especially large cloud of dust his way, sending him into another flurry of coughing. "Take that, Raticate!" Skywing shouted before starting to cough as her beak filled with dust. "Can't-keep-flapping!" She gasped before falling to the ground, hacking and coughing like crazy._

Ginny, as the dust cleared, snatched up an iron bar and jammed it into the crate. 'Okay...I just need to thrust enough to open it.' She thought, gritting her teeth. 'Come on...'

"CHARBOK!" Arbok wiped the dust out of his eye with his tail before barreling toward Ginny. Ginny leaped to the side and Arbok slammed into the iron bar. The impact knocked it out of the crate.

"PIDGEY!" Skywing jumped up from her position on the ground and flew toward Arbok, flapping her wings menacingly. Arbok turned and sank his teeth into her wing. Skywing let out an earsplitting shriek.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Ginny grabbed the iron bar and tried to attack Arbok with it but it merely bounced off of his tough hide. Arbok spun back around and prepared to sink his teeth into Ginny.

_Skywing flew back and stared down at the attacking Arbok. 'There has to be a way to get everyone out...' She eyed the crates and then the bar in Ginny's hands. 'I wonder...' She remembered Arbok barreling into the bar and knocking it out. 'If hit at the right angle...'_

Ginny jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding Arbok's fangs. Skywing swooped down and pulled her to her feet by her hair. "Ouch! Thanks, Skywing!" She noticed Skywing flapping her wings desperately. "What is it?"

"Pidgey! Pidgey!" Skywing pointed her beak at the bar before turning toward the crates finally, Arbok.

"...I see what you're saying! We'll trick Arbok into freeing everyone!" Skywing nodded excitedly. "Okay, but we only have one shot at this. Arbok won't be likely to fall for it twice." She eyed Arbok, who was turning around for another attack. "We'll put the bar into Flamindude's crate. He'll be able to help get the others out. Ready?" Skywing nodded. "Okay! Let's do this!"

_Skywing watched Ginny jam the iron bar into the crate. As she had predicted, Arbok immediately tried to attack. Ginny just barely dodged. Skywing flinched a little despite herself. 'No! Can't chicken out now!' She waited until Ginny had Arbok in just the right spot. 'Now!' She flew over in front of the bar and flapped her wings loudly. "Hey, Arbok! Wassamatter? Is a little Pidgey too hard for you? Because I'm still here!" She let out a loud, obnoxious, caw._

"_You'll eat those words, you little chicken!" Arbok snarled, zooming toward her._

_'Almost...almost...' Arbok was nearly upon her. 'NOW!' She flapped her wings with all her might and flew over Arbok's head. She heard the dull thud of tough hide on metal, followed by the sound of a falling metal plank. 'Got it!'_

_Flamindude leaped out of the crate and shot a huge Flamethrower at Arbok. "You caught me on a REALLY bad day!" He roared as he began slashing mercilessly at the snake Pokemon with Metal Claw._

Ginny grabbed the iron bar and jammed it into the second crate. "Flamindude! Over here!" Flamindude spun toward her. His eye caught sight of the bar and he nodded in understanding. With a roar of anger, he jumped at the bar and practically threw half of the crate to the side.

"Pika!" Lightning jumped out of the box.

Ginny quickly jammed the bar into the final crate and watched as Flamindude freed Prince. "Come on, everyone! Let's get out of here!" They all turned to find the way out barred by at least twenty Team Rocket members. "We can break through them! Everyone, attack-"

"STOP!" The woman from before stepped forward and pulled a Super Potion out of her pocket. Calmly, she walked over to Arbok and sprayed the healing liquid on him. She tossed another one to Ginny. "Let's not cause any more needless harm. Why not solve this dilemma like adults?"

"That ship has sailed!" Ginny shouted angrily.

"I'm offering you a chance to walk out of here unharmed."

"I don't follow."

"Why, I am challenging you to a Pokemon battle, of course." The woman chuckled. "Free for all, all of my Pokemon versus all of your Pokemon. If you win, we will let you and your Pokemon out of here unharmed."

"And what if you win?" Ginny asked, dreading the answer.

"You will still keep your Pokemon." Ginny let out a gasp of shock. "BUT," The woman's smile widened. "you must join Team Rocket!"

Ginny started to tremble. Join Team Rocket? Steal Pokemon from others? Use her power for evil? 'That's what'll happen if I lose...' She looked down at her Pokemon. 'But if I refuse, I'll be giving up on my own Pokemon...' She sighed quietly. "If we lose..." She was interrupted by an indignant squawk in her ear. She turned to see Skywing perched on her shoulder, staring sternly at her. Lighting jumped up onto her other shoulder and glared expectantly at her. Prince growled softly, undaunted by the leering Arbok. Flamindude let out a flurry of embers and nodded his head. Ginny smiled. "You're right! We won't lose!" She turned back to the Rocket member. "I accept your challenge."

* * *

Ginny looked at her Pokemon. They looked fully healed. 'Okay...this is it...' She stood up and locked eyes with her opponent. "I'm ready!"

"Good! Go, Golbat!" She threw her first Pokeball and a large bat-like Pokemon flew out.

Ginny pulled out Dexie.

"Golbat, the Bat Pokemon. Its fangs easily puncture even thick animal hide. It loves to feast on the blood of people and Pokemon. It flits about in darkness and strikes from behind."

'Since he's a Flying type, my best bet would be to use Electric attacks.' "Go, Lightning!"

"Pika!" Lightning eagerly rushed forward.

"Lightning, use Thundershock!"

"PIKACHU!" Lightning sent a wave of electricity at Golbat.

"Dodge and use Confuse Ray!" Golbat dove down and sent a Confuse Ray at Lightning. Lightning started walking in a tottering fashion. "Now, use Bite!" Golbat swooped down and sank his teeth into Lightning. She looked down and out when Golbat suddenly froze and fell off.

'He's paralyzed!' "Come on, Lightning! Now's your chance!" Lightning shook her head a little before hitting the fallen Golbat with a Quick Attack.

"Come on! Get up, you worthless Golbat!" Finally, she reluctantly brought her fainted Pokemon back into his ball. "Don't think you'll get off so easily! Go, Graveler!"

"Uh oh...Lightning, return." Lightning bounded back to her side. "Flamindude, you're the only one who can handle a Rock type. Go for it!" Flamindude grinned and walked out onto the field.

"I knew you'd send your Charmeleon! Graveler, use Selfdestruct!"

"Selfdestruct?! What's that?!" Ginny's question was answered by a large explosion and a blinding light. "WHOA!" She shielded her eyes and turned away. When the dust cleared, both Flamindude and Graveler were unconscious. "Flamindude!" She rushed out and picked up her beloved Pokemon. "Steady, boy. It's okay. She only has four more. Take a good rest." She carried him over to a patch of grass where Lightning immediately began tending to him.

"Go, Beedrill!" In a flash of light, the black and yellow horror manifested itself in front of Ginny.

"..."

"_What's going on?! Why isn't she sending one of us out?!" Prince scratched at the ground impatiently._

"_She's...very...scared...of Beedrill..." Flamindude gasped, trying and failing to move. "Ouch...I saved her from...a swarm...when she was only a little kid...she's been terrified of them ever since..." He groaned. "I gotta get up..."_

"_No!" Prince narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. "If she can't send someone out, I'll go out myself! Lemme at him!" He bounded out onto the field. "Get ready, Beedrill!" He shouted, sending out a Poison Sting._

"_That won't have any effect!" Lightning called from the sidelines. "Use Peck!"_

"_Right..." As Beedrill swooped toward him, he jumped onto her back and jabbed his horn repeatedly into her. "Take THIS! And THIS!" Beedrill let out a pained buzz before falling to the ground. "YEAH!"_

Ginny snapped out of her terror in time to catch Prince as he leaped into her arms. "Prince..."

"Nido, nido!" Prince nuzzled her affectionately.

Ginny's face broke into a smile. "You are amazing." She hugged him close. "Ready for another go?" Prince nodded eagerly. "Great!" Their next opponent was a Poliwrath. 'I really should be using Lightning in this situation...but...' She smiled and placed Prince on the ground. "Let's knock him dead!"

"Use Hypnosis!" In a flash, Prince was fast asleep.

"Oh no! Prince! Wake up!"

"Bubblebeam!" A stream of bubbles barreled into Prince, knocking him a couple feet into the air and then landing him hard on the ground.

"Okay, Prince. That's enough." Ginny ran out and picked up Prince. "It's okay. You were wonderful." Prince blinked blearily and smiled weakly. "Go get him, Lightning!" Lightning cast one quick glance at Flamindude before running out onto the battlefield. "Use Quick Attack!" Lightning ran in super fast circles around Poliwrath before knocking him clean off of his feet. "Finish him with Thunderbolt!"

"PI....KA...CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!" A huge wave of lightning struck Poliwrath, effectively taking him out of the battle. The Rocket lady was grumbling as she recalled him and pulled out her second-last Pokeball.

'It's two-on-two now. We definitely can win this one!'

"Go, Machoke!" A huge Machoke jumped out of the Pokeball. "Use Karate Chop!" Machoke slammed a hard hand into Lightning's side. Lightning growled and jumped back up again.

"Use Slam!" Lightning jumped into the air and threw herself full force into her opponent. She merely bounced right off.

"Finish her with Low Kick!" Machoke's foot came in contact with Lightning stomach and knocked her out cold.

Ginny rushed over and picked up Lightning. "There, there. You did a good job!" She placed her Pikachu tenderly next to Prince and Flamindude. She then turned to Skywing, who was perched close by. "I kept you in reserve for a reason, Skywing. It's all up to you." She stroked her Pidgey's feathers. "I have complete faith that you can do this. You just need to believe in yourself." She looked Skywing in the eyes. "Can you do that? For me?"

_Skywing felt her eyes well up with tears as she nodded her head vigorously. 'Yes! I can do this! I gotta do this! I will do this!' With a resolute look, she flew out toward Machoke._

"_Use Tackle!"_

_'She wants me to get close...' Skywing threw herself into Machoke and felt the dizzying impact of his hard muscled body. 'Ow...no wonder Lightning's attack had no effect...'_

"_DUST-ATTACK!" Skywing opened her wings and send a blinding cloud of dust into Machoke's eyes. He howled in pain and jumped back, rubbing his eyes._

"_That won't help!" Skywing called tauntingly. "That'll only rub the dust more into your eyes!"_

"_Use Gust!"_

_Skywing opened her wings once more and made a huge tornado, which she sent spinning toward Machoke. 'Flying type moves are super effective against Fighting types. This should hit home!' Sure enough, when the cyclone finally cleared, Machoke was on the ground, unmoving. "YES!" She did a twirl in the air._

"_Don't get cocky, brat! I still have one Pokemon left!" The Rocket lady shouted._

_Skywing almost dropped out of the sky. 'Oh...right...now I need to fight...' She gulped a little as Arbok slithered forward._

"_Finally." He hissed. "I've been looking forward to this for awhile now!" _

"_Me too!" Skywing felt a surge of boldness. 'Finally, I'll be able to put this criminal in his place! I can't lose!'_

"_Use Gust!" Ginny shouted._

_Skywing shot another tornado at Arbok, who nimbly dodged and came at her with a Bite attack. She flew up into the air, just out of reach._

"_Are you going to run away again?" Arbok taunted. "Or are you going to fight like a real Pokemon?!"_

"_I can fight!" She flew down at him with an intended Tackle attack. At the last second, Arbok jumped out of the way and Skywing hit the ground REALLY hard. She was seeing stars. 'Ow...' She felt Arbok's fangs in her wing. 'No...'_

"_I'll take you down and your precious Trainer will be one of us." Arbok snarled through Skywing's feathers. "We'll give her all the worst jobs. She'll fetch things for everyone, be given the worst of the Pokemon, and take out the trash. That should be easy enough. All we need to do is find a garbage bag you'll fit in!" He chuckled at his own joke._

"_Leave...Ginny...ALONE!" Skywing let out a loud caw and jumped out of Arbok's grasp._

"_That's it, Skywing! Use Gust!"_

"_TAKE THIS!" Skywing opened her wings and, summoning all of her power, whipped up the biggest swirl of debris she had ever seen. This Gust seemed different though...it seemed almost...shiny. 'Wait...' She watched as the attack hit Arbok and he began to cringe. 'That's not Gust...That's Twister!' She let out a screech of excitement and dived down at Arbok. "You're going down!" She hit him from all sides with a series of Quick Attacks before spinning in midair and shooting a final Twister at him. As he fell to the ground, she knew that victory was hers._

"Return..." The Rocket member sighed sadly and turned to her cronies. "Well, that's that." She muttered. "Do any of you guys have any Pokemon left?" They all shook their heads. She narrowed her eyes and turned toward Ginny. "Don't think this is the last you've seen of us! We'll be telling Giovanni about you, you little brat! I'd like to see how it'll be if you ever meet _him_!" She turned and followed the other members onto their balloon.

As they started to take off, Ginny was struck with sudden inspiration. "Say, Skywing? Do you think you could..." She glanced up at the balloon. Skywing smirked and nodded before flying up toward the balloon. As they went higher, she jabbed her talons into the rubber, splitting the balloon. She dived back down toward Ginny as the balloon went spiraling off into the sky toward the rising sun.

_Ginny walked over to Lightning, Prince, and Flamindude. "How are you guys feeling?"_

_Flamindude smiled weakly and stood up. Prince and Lightning also forced themselves to stand._

"_I'll get the Potions. I think they left a few behind." She ran back into the warehouse._

_Flamindude turned to Skywing. "That was really impressive, Skywing. I've never seen such battling! For a second there, I thought Arbok had you! Great job!"_

"_Yeah! It looked really bad but you pulled through! You're really growing!" Lightning nodded in approval._

"_I never doubted you for a second!" Prince smirked. Everyone else gave him a withering look as Ginny walked back out and began healing them._

Ginny finished healing her Pokemon before gazing tenderly at Skywing. "Skywing, if it weren't for you, I never would have been able to free everyone and I'd be stuck in Team Rocket right now." She held out her wrist for Skywing to perch on. "You've come a long way, Skywing." She gently stroked Skywing's head feathers. "I'm so proud of you!"

_Skywing felt immeasurable joy swelling up within her. 'She's proud of me...' Her wings began flapping. "I DID IT!" She shot up toward the sky. "I DID IT! I DID IT!" She did a loop-the-loop in the air. As she entered a dive, she noticed an odd change overcoming her. She was glowing with excitement! She felt so strong! So happy! Nothing could stop her! "WHOO-HOO!" She flew back toward Ginny and fastened her claws around her Trainer's outstretched arm. It took her a moment to note Ginny's stunned expression. 'What's up?' She tilted her head. 'Wow! Ginny's face has never looked so clear!' She looked around. 'I can see everything so clearly now! My sight...what happened?' She turned and watched Ginny's face break into a grin. 'Wait a second...' She looked down. 'My feet shouldn't be big enough to fit completely around her arm!' Her eyes widened. 'Did I...'_

Tears streaked Ginny's face as her emotions threatened to overpower her. She buried her face in Skywing's feathers. "Oh, Skywing...you truly are magnificent." She drew back and gazed into the face of the most beautiful Pidgeotto in all of Kanto.

**I think I did pretty good on this one! Now, I want LOTS of reviews from ya'll! In the next installment, Ginny comes to Mount Moon just in time to come to the aid of a kidnapped Clefairy. Hope you enjoyed Skywing's time in the spotlight! Later!**


End file.
